IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi met Tuesday afternoon with US security envoy General James Jones at the Kiryah Base in Tel Aviv, along with a number of Israeli and American diplomatic and defense officials.

General Jones was briefed on the security challenges facing Israel with a specific focus on the intense situation in Gaza and related issues in Judea and Samaria.  Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi also explained to the American envoy methods used by the IDF to combat these security threats.

General Jones was appointed last month by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to monitor compliance by Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the steps outlined in the American Roadmap plan, as agreed upon at the Annapolis conference.