U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's meetings with Israeli leaders have changed locations within Israel and his arrival has been slightly delayed due to protests against a government plan to overhaul the Israeli judiciary, a U.S. official said.
The change in the Thursday meetings was made at the request of the Israeli government, the official said on Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
"Israeli officials insisted the meeting location be changed and said they had concerns about planned protests near the Ministry of Defense headquarters," the official told Reuters during a stopover by Austin in Egypt for talks.
