U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth quietly meets Netanyahu in Israel as election tensions and Iran war fears mount
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a secretive trip to Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just days before Israeli elections, while President Donald Trump floated the possibility of fresh military aggression against Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Israel on Monday and held a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to senior U.S. military officials and an Israeli source. The visit was not publicly announced and came less than ten days before Israel’s scheduled elections, adding to the already volatile political atmosphere.
Hegseth posted on X that he was in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, sharing a photo of himself speaking to American service members on what he described as a "historic mission," while carefully avoiding any direct disclosure of his exact location.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the trip, and CBS News has sought a response from the Israeli government. The visit comes after recent remarks from President Donald Trump saying he is weighing options ranging from a diplomatic deal with Iran to renewed military action, a decision he said could be made after the November midterm elections.
Netanyahu, who leads Israel’s longest-serving government, told local media that he does not plan to launch new strikes against Iran before the Oct. 27 elections, saying such actions would be "not convenient for us."
President Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu, calling him a "Great Warrior Prime Minister" and a "Partner for Peace" in confronting Iran. The administration has previously pressed Israel to temper its operations in Lebanon, address settler violence in the West Bank, and pursue a longer-term arrangement with Hamas in Gaza.