U.S. embassy in Israel

Israel was on alert Thursday after its arch-foe Iran threatened reprisals over a strike in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals, and as the war against Hamas ground on in Gaza.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel has changed its Twitter handle to reflect the move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next week.

The U.S. embassy in Israel will move to Jerusalem by the end of 2019, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday, according to Reuters. 

"In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem - and that United States Embassy will open before the end of next year," Pence said in a speech to the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a step back on Jan. 18 from comments, challenged by U.S. President Donald Trump, that envisioned a one-year timeframe for the planned relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

President Donald Trump denied on Wednesday that the planned relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would take place within a year, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected the controversial move to happen by then./Reuters

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator.

U.S. President Donald Trump invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Washington in early February during a phone call in which they discussed the importance of strengthening the U.S.-Israeli relationship, the White House said on Jan. 22. 

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate attorney David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel, selecting an envoy who supports Israeli settlements and other changes to U.S. policies in the region.