Fr Stephen Smuts

Military men (Netanyahu was special forces, and has been shot in battle):

The United States’ top military official held talks Friday with Israeli leaders in an effort to coordinate responses to Iran’s nuclear program and urged closer cooperation between the two allies.

Remarks by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey before the talks appeared to reflect concern in Washington about possible Israeli plans to move independently to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“We have many interests in common in the region in this very dynamic time, and the more we can continue to engage each other, the better off we’ll all be,” Dempsey said at the start of a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at his Tel Aviv office.

Barak replied, “There is never a dull moment, that I can promise you.”

Dempsey also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and the Israeli army’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.

“Both our countries share the same interests, both the same values, and I’m sure we can somehow work it out together,” Gantz said as the two generals sat down for their meeting.

Dempsey said his presence in Israel “reflects the commitment we have with each other, and I’m here to assure you that is the case.”

No Israeli statement was issued after the day’s talks, reflecting the sensitivity of the subject, and spokesmen for Netanyahu and Barak declined to comment on the substance of the discussions, citing what they described as standard procedure for consultations with visiting U.S. military chiefs.

A spokesman for Dempsey said in a statement that the talks had “served to advance a common understanding of the regional security environment.”

There’s more here.