Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will head to Saudi Arabia on Monday on the first stop of a Middle East and Africa trip, the Pentagon announced Friday.
The first meetings with the Saudis will focus on their security partnership with the U.S. and will no doubt involve discussions on the war in Yemen, where the Trump administration has taken a larger role in fighting militants.
Mattis will also meet with Egypt and Israel to talk about regional security and participate in wreath-laying ceremonies, according to the Pentagon.
In Israel, he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman.
The trip will conclude April 23 in Djibouti where Mattis will meet with President Ismail Omar Guelleh.
