Following his confirmation as Secretary of State Thursday, Mike Pompeo headed off to Europe for a NATO meeting in Brussels and will travel from there to meet with “key allies” in the Middle East, including Israel, next week, The Times of Israel reported Thursday.

On Friday, Pompeo met with NATO officials, and is expected to discuss the Russian threat and the nuclear deal with Iran on his first trip as Secretary of State abroad. After Brussels, Pompeo is slated to fly to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Jordan.

Prior to Pompeo’s departure, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert explained that while his attendance at the NATO meeting had previously been on the agenda, “other locations were selected because of the importance of these key allies and partners in the region.”

Nauert said the United States’ relationship with Israel “has never been closer than it is right now.”

Earlier this week, an Israeli news report said that Pompeo would lead the U.S. delegation to next month’s opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The embassy is to open on May 14, which would be the 70th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence. Israel celebrated Independence Day on April 18, which corresponded to the date of the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar.

On Monday, Israel’s Channel 10 had reported that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would likely lead the American delegation to the embassy’s opening. The American delegation could consist of 250 people including 40 politicians. President Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka and Jared Kushner, are said to be thinking of attending the ceremony.

Last December, Trump said that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and that he  would begin the process of moving the embassy there.

[Photo: VOA News / YouTube]