Israeli military chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz departed Thursday for the United States and Canada for talks that are expected to center on Iran's nuclear program.

The military chief is scheduled to meet with top security, government and military officials for discussions on "issues of joint military cooperation, mutual security challenges and briefings on the Middle East region," the army said in a statement.

Gantz's trip will begin in Canada, where he will meet his counterpart, General Walter J. Natynczyk, and Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay.

Next week, Gantz will make his first visit to the United States as the Israeli military chief, and he will meet with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His itinerary also includes meetings with other senior U.S. security and administration officials.

In January, Gantz hosted Dempsey on his first visit to Israel, for talks that focused on the Iranian issue.

While both Israel and the United States agree that the Islamic republic's nuclear program is geared to produce nuclear weaponry, they are at odds over the best way to curtail it, with Israel reportedly pushing for a military strike and Washington in favor of exhausting sanctions and diplomacy.

In a speech before the Israeli parliament on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel may launch a pre-emptive, unilateral strike against Iran.

He cited examples of former Israeli premiers who made historic decisions deemed critical to Israel's survival without securing America's consent.

Unnamed Israeli defense officials said that Gantz's visit is aimed to continue a discussion between Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama last week regarding the possibility of U.S. military assistance to Israel ahead of a strike on Iran's nuclear installations, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper.