US defense secretary arrives in Israel for two-day visit

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis landed Thursday afternoon in Israel, the latest stop on his trip to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. It is his first visit to the country since assuming his post. He will meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman as well as the IDF chief of staff, Lieut. Gen. Gady Eisenkott, and other senior security-related figures. Mattis met with senior officials in Saudi Arabia and Egypt before arriving in Israel for the two-day visit.