Netanyahu welcomes JD and Usha Vance | WATCH

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu welcomed U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha Vance at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, marking a formal start to high-level talks amid ongoing regional dynamics.

The welcoming ceremony, captured in official images released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, showed the two couples exchanging greetings, with Netanyahu and Vance shaking hands while Sara Netanyahu and Usha Vance stood alongside.

The event took place against the backdrop of Jerusalem's historic setting, symbolizing the continued U.S.-Israel relationship.

This visit marks Vance's first to Israel as vice president, arriving just a day after his landing at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday, where he was greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

The Ohio senator-turned-second-in-command wasted no time, convening immediately with Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, key architects of the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire that took effect on October 10, to align on enforcement strategies.

Speaking to reporters at the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat yesterday (Tuesday), Vance projected measured confidence, declaring the truce "durable" and "going better than expected."

He also dismissed suggestions that his trip was a direct response to Hamas' breaking the ceasefire and Israel's military resoonse in Gaza, insisting it was planned to "put some eyes" on negotiations and relay updates to President Donald Trump.

Yet, behind the optimism lies a palpable undercurrent of concern: Multiple U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, expressed fears that Netanyahu might unravel the deal by resuming large-scale operations, prompting Vance's intervention to urge restraint [read: force Israel to comply with America's wishes].