US Vice President Joe Biden during a visit to Israel in 2010. AP

U.S. Joint Chief-of-Staff General Jospeh Dunford arrived in Israel on Thursday for his second visit to Israel since his appointment last October. "And the thing that gives me confidence that we can deal with these challenges is the fact that we're partners and allies".

Among topics of discussion, sources in Israel said, were ways in which both countries are coordinating deconfliction protocols with Russian forces waging war beyond Israel's northern border on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad; the role of Turkey in the region; and Israel's requirements as it works to conclude a new 10-year military aid package with Washington.

The two also cooperate on developing defense system, like the Iron Dome anti-missile battery and the Arrows interceptor missiles. "Your visit now, including your visit to the Juniper Cobra exercise", Ya'alon said, referencing the major joint Israeli-American missile defense drill that takes place every two years. The vice president will then visit the West Bank city of Ramallah in the lands occupied by Israel, where he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss "shared regional interests", according to Biden's office.

On Monday, the Hebrew-language news website NRG reported that unnamed senior Obama administration officials have appealed to Israeli public figures and government officials to refrain from announcing any new building in Jerusalem or the West Bank during the Biden visit.

Biden is also expected to discuss a months-long dispute over the Iran nuclear deal, as part of which the USA began the process of lifting sanctions on Tehran.