Hegseth meets Netanyahu Israel visit ahead of elections
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, according to CBS News and…
Hegseth meets Netanyahu Israel officials confirmed on Tuesday, as the unannounced visit raised attention ahead of Israel’s upcoming election. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to a senior U.S. military official and a separate source in Israel cited by CBS News.
The Pentagon declined to comment. Hegseth confirmed in a post on X that he was in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on Monday, but did not identify his location or mention Israel.
The meeting came just over a week before Netanyahu’s party faces elections and after U.S. President Donald Trump floated resuming military operations against Iran following next month’s U.S. midterm elections. The timing places the encounter alongside two political tests and uncertainty over Washington’s approach to Tehran.
Visit remains officially unconfirmed
The senior U.S. military official spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to speak publicly. A second source involved in the matter in Israel confirmed Tuesday morning that Netanyahu had met Hegseth.
Axios first reported the visit. Al Jazeera also reported the meeting, citing Axios and two sources with knowledge of the matter. Israel’s Army Radio reported that the meeting took place at an air force base in Israel’s southern desert, while the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment to Al Jazeera.
Hegseth shared a photograph of himself addressing American service members and described them as being “on a historic mission.” His post confirmed his presence in the command’s area of responsibility, not in Israel specifically.
The distinction matters: the meeting was confirmed by sources, but neither the Pentagon nor Hegseth publicly announced the visit. CBS News said it had reached out to the Israeli government for comment.
Iran policy hangs over the timing
Israeli and U.S. forces jointly launched strikes against Iran in late February, CBS News reported, and the two allies worked closely early in the war. The United States also struck three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 during a broader conflict between Israel and Iran.
Iran and the United States have largely refrained from striking each other in recent weeks, according to CBS News. Trump has said he is weighing whether to reach a deal with Iran’s leadership or “annihilate” the country, with a decision he said could come after the November midterm elections.
That leaves the meeting relevant beyond its undisclosed agenda. Any change in U.S. military policy toward Iran would affect the security calculations of Israel and the wider region, while the sources do not report that Hegseth and Netanyahu discussed a specific military plan.
Netanyahu told Israeli media last week that he was not planning renewed strikes against Iran before the Oct. 27 elections, saying, “it is not convenient for us.” CBS News described the vote as a week from Tuesday and said Netanyahu’s coalition, led by his Likud party, is seeking to remain in power against several more centrist challengers.
One challenger is a party run by Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, CBS News reported. Al Jazeera said opinion polls suggest Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition could lose its governing majority, while the opposition may also struggle to form a government.
Trump backs Netanyahu as election nears
Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday, calling him “a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to CBS News. Al Jazeera reported that Trump posted his endorsement a day before its report and quoted him saying Netanyahu had his “Complete and Total Endorsement”.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance took a different position in an interview on Monday, Al Jazeera reported. He said he was not getting involved in Israel’s election.
“I’m not anti-endorsing him, but I’m not pro-endorsing him; I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said in an interview with digital media outlet 2WAY.
The Trump administration has at times pressed Israel to ease strikes on Lebanon, home to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, CBS News reported. It has also encouraged Israel to crack down on settler violence in the West Bank and reach a longer-term deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, Trump envoy Jared Kushner suggested the Israeli election may have delayed progress in Gaza. Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, he said: “They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards.”
Netanyahu’s party faces elections just over a week after Hegseth’s Monday meeting, while Trump says a decision on Iran could come after the November midterms.
Source: cbsnews.com
