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Hegseth Meets Netanyahu in Unannounced Israel Visit
· Confirmed
In Short: Despite the differing reports on the specifics of the meeting, all outlets agreed that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel, according to Axios and Al Jazeera. The Axios report cited sources, while Al Jazeera provided additional details on the context of the meeting.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) reported that President Trump endorsed Netanyahu on his social media platform Truth Social, urging support ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election. Reuters could not immediately confirm the visit, but Hegseth announced on social media that he was visiting troops in the Middle East on an unspecified mission.
Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) and Haaretz (Israel) confirmed the meeting took place eight days before Israel's October 27 Knesset election. Both outlets noted that Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, though the opposition also faces difficulties in forming a government.
Internazionale (Italy) reported that according to polls, Netanyahu's coalition is expected to fall short of the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority, while the opposition also struggles to form a government. Haaretz (Israel) provided additional details on the poll results, showing a stronger showing for Eisenkot's bloc with 55 seats compared to Netanyahu's 51.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of discussions between the two countries regarding the possibility of resuming military action against Iran. Axios and Al Jazeera reported that Trump and Netanyahu had previously discussed the possibility of restarting a full-scale bombing campaign against Iran.
According to Al Jazeera (Qatar), Netanyahu claimed Israel was facing the threat of attack before election day, though Haaretz (Israel) reported that the Israeli security establishment had identified no escalation in threats against Israel.
US Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu in an interview earlier on Monday, stating he was not getting involved in Israeli elections. This contrasts with President Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu on Sunday.
The Pentagon and the Israeli Embassy declined to comment on the reported meeting, according to Israel National News (Israel).
Hegseth's visit and meeting with Netanyahu were not officially confirmed by either the US or Israeli governments, but Axios and Al Jazeera reported that the talks took place at the Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where US refueling planes and fighter jets are deployed.
The meeting comes amid ongoing discussions between the US and Israel about the possibility of launching another major military campaign against Iran, according to Israel National News (Israel).
Background
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel, according to Axios and Al Jazeera.
What's confirmed
- He added that Netanyahu had his “Complete and Total Endorsement”.
- Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, although the opposition may also struggle to form a government, opinion polls suggest.
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an undisclosed visit to Israel.
- So far, the trip and meeting haven’t been confirmed by the US or Israel, but the report said that the talks took place at the Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where US refueling planes and fighter jets are deployed.
- News of Hegseth’s trip comes a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in next week’s parliamentary election in Israel — its first vote since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that shook the country and plunged the Middle East into turmoil, as Israel went to war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
- US Vice President JD Vance, however, declined to endorse Netanyahu in an interview earlier on Monday, saying he was not getting involved in Israeli elections.
- Polls show Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious coalition projected to fall short of the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority, though the opposition also faces difficulties assembling a governing bloc.
- The visit comes eight days before Israel’s national election on Oct.
- “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on is the midterms,” Vance, who travelled to Budapest and endorsed Viktor Orban in Hungarian elections earlier this year, said in an interview with digital media outlet 2WAY.
- “I’m not anti-endorsing him, but I’m not pro-endorsing him; I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said.
- Reuters could not immediately confirm the meeting, but Hegseth said in a social media post that he had visited US service members in the Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, northeast Africa and parts of Asia.
What's still developing
- Upon becoming the “Secretary of War”, he shares operational details with a group chat accidentally containing a leading journalist, and watches on as his own secretary of the army quit while reportedly privately warning that Hegseth is inflicting “generational damage”.
- Secondo i sondaggi, la coalizione nazionalista-religiosa di Netanyahu dovrebbe perdere la maggioranza di governo, anche se l’opposizione potrebbe a sua volta avere difficoltà a formare un governo.
- The annual Future Investment Initiative (FII), often dubbed “Davos in the Desert,” was scheduled to take place from October 26-29.
- Details of the conversation have not been disclosed.
- And now, our reader would say: “You want me to believe this man takes professional direction from one key adviser – and this collaborator in his glorious career is his wife?” Actually, it’s his third wife.
- A source told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Hegseth also met with some US troops.
- That reporting identified Hegseth as the strongest supporter of resuming strikes on Iran within the administration.