US CENTCOM chief arrives in Israel as Trump moves 'armada' toward Iran amid escalating tensions

Admiral Brad Cooper, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander, arrived in Israel to meet with senior Israeli officials, Hebrew-speaking news media outlets reported. The top-level visit comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s military buildup of U.S. troops in the Middle East amid growing tensions with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The American president has warned that he will use military force if the ayatollah regime continues killing peaceful protesters or carries out mass executions of prisoners.

The Iranian government admitted that 5,000 protesters have been killed since the latest anti-regime protests erupted in late December, however, recent figures suggest the ayatollah regime may have murdered 16,000 protesters – or as many as 20,000 people – almost all civilians, including women and children.

Speaking to reporters from Air Force One, Trump said his administration is keeping all options regarding Iran and warned that he could order massive military action that would make last year’s U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites “look like peanuts” if the regime continues to kill innocent civilians. Trump also said that his threat prompted the Iranian regime to halt the execution of 800 detained protesters. Iran’s top prosecutor, however, rejected Trump’s claim as “completely false.”

Trump confirmed that an American “armada” is moving in the direction of Iran, which includes thousands of troops and an aircraft carrier group. Despite the sharp warning, Trump stressed that he hopes a non-military solution will be found to end the Iran crisis.

Last September, Admiral Cooper met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir to discuss the regional threats from Iran and its terror proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. The CENTCOM commander stated, “The United States maintains an ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. We are mutually dedicated to promoting regional security and stability," he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Iranian official said he hopes that a military confrontation with the United States can be avoided.

“This military buildup – we hope it is not intended for real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” the official said.

“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the Iranian official warned.

“If the Americans violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” he added without elaborating.

Iran’s military capabilities were severely degraded during Israel’s Operation Rising Lion in June 2025. Military pundits believe that Iran still holds an arsenal of ballistic missiles that can be fired against Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 News reported on Friday that White House advisor Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were scheduled to arrive in Israel on Saturday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kushner and Witkoff have played a leading role in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza and the future development plans for the coastal enclave.