Director Burns’ Middle East Mission

SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – CIA Director Bill Burns is in the Middle East as part of a Biden Administration push to ease tensions in the region amid fears of a broader, more violent regional conflict.  The director is reportedly planning to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Mossad Chief David Barnea. His trip follows a visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.   

While the CIA does not comment publicly on the director’s schedule, media outlets are citing Israeli officials for details of Burns’ visit in which he is also expected to meet leaders in Qatar and Egypt as well as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by formers.” —Sept. 2018, Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 62

Access all of The Cipher Brief‘s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+Member.