U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday met with Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the White House, local media reported.
Prior to his meeting with Obama, Barak also had talks with National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones. No details of the talks were available.
The high-level U.S.-Israel meetings occurred hours before Obama leaves on a trip to the Middle East to improve relations with Muslim countries.
Obama will visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and make a speech to Muslims on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt.
Obama had talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Middle East peace process at the White House on May 18.