Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi made a secret visit two weeks ago to Washington and to UN headquarters in New York, where he discussed the Iranian nuclear program, the Syria crisis and Hezbollah's increasing power in Lebanon. Kochavi met in Washington with senior White House and State Department officials, as well as senior officials in the Defense Department Intelligence agency and the CIA. The Iran issue was a central focus of Kochavi's talks in Washington, where he discussed the progress of Iran's nuclear program and the status of the talks Iran is holding with the P5 +1 nations about the program's future. According to Kochavi, the Israeli intelligence community has changed its stance on the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. Until a few months ago Israel believed preserving the regime would serve Israel's interests, but now it believes Israel would be better served by Assad's removal from office.
