US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to two senior Israeli officials.

The discussions will likely concern Iran, after Zamir was in Washington DC over the weekend for a series of discussions with American defense officials regarding the Islamic Republic.

Following his visit to Israel, Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi plan to meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a possible nuclear deal and other issues, a US official said on Monday.

“The president’s been calling for them to make a deal. The meeting is to hear what they have to say,” the official said.

Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt have been working to arrange the meeting, Axios reported earlier, citing two sources.

Meanwhile, Iranian media said on Monday that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with the US after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful for a deal to avert military action against the Islamic Republic.

Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.

Tehran, in response, has warned that if Trump orders strikes, Iran will target Israel and American military assets in the Middle East.

Netanyahu addressed these threats in a speech to the Knesset Monday, saying Israel was “ready for every scenario.”

“Whoever attacks us will face unbearable consequences,” the premier........

© The Times of Israel