A top US military officer visited Israel from Wednesday to Friday, meeting with Israeli defence officials and discussing the situation in Syria, among other regional topics, quotes the US Central Command (Centcom) as saying. Army General Michael Kurilla, Centcom’s commander, met Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, along with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, Centcom . Katz has ordered Israeli troops to prepare to stay over the winter on Mount Hermon, a strategic location overlooking Damascus, adding to signs that Israel is planning a prolonged military presence in Syria. “The leaders discussed a range of regional security issues, to include the ongoing situation in Syria, and preparedness against other strategic and regional threats,” the Centcom statement said. Centcom said Kurilla also visited Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon in recent days.