(JNS) The U.S. Department of Defense named Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, on Monday, Dec. 18 as the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East affairs, according to Lara Seligman, who covers the Pentagon for Politico.

There did not yet appear to be any official confirmation of the announcement, either from the Pentagon or from Shapiro. Seligman did not state publicly what her source was.