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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the meeting.
The visit comes eight days before Israel’s parliamentary election and amid US-Israeli discussions about potentially resuming major combat operations against Iran, Axios reported.
The meeting took place at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where US refueling aircraft and fighter jets are deployed. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben Ezra also attended the meeting, according to Axios.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the visit. The Pentagon declined comment, while Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The visit comes a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in the upcoming election, Israel’s first vote since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which shook the country and plunged the Middle East into turmoil.
Israel subsequently went to war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, although the opposition may also struggle to form a government, opinion polls show.
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.
“I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on is the midterms,” Vance told 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,” he said.
Vance, who traveled to Budapest earlier this year and endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of Hungary’s election, said he was focused on the US midterm elections.
