US Defense Secretary Makes Secret Visit to Israel

U.S. Secretary of Defense the U.S. Secretary of Defense made a secret visit to Israel on Monday, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, an Israeli official confirmed to Haaretz. The visit comes amid discussions between the two countries regarding the possibility of resuming military action against Iran. The Pentagon did not pre-announce the visit, and sources familiar with the matter told CNN it was not planned in advance. The U.S. Secretary of Defense's office declined to comment, and Netanyahu's office did not respond.

Following the Axios report, the U.S. Secretary of Defense posted photos on X of himself with U.S. soldiers from CENTCOM, stating it was an honor to visit "our warriors" on a "historic mission." He did not mention his meeting with Netanyahu. This visit follows U.S. President endorsement of Netanyahu for the upcoming election and his remarks on the Iran conflict. Trump stated it was "only a matter of time" before Tehran attacked Israel and the U.S., warning that "if they don't change their ways, and fast, we are going to finish the job." He added that if Israel had the "wrong leader," the U.S. would have had to act alone.

Last week, CNN reported that the U.S. military had developed plans, at Trump's request, to strike Iranian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure if he decided to resume hostilities. These plans reportedly include the use of the GBU-43 bomb, also known as the "mother of all bombs," against targets like "Mount Machush" near the Natanz nuclear facility, which is believed to hold components of Iran's nuclear program. Earlier reports indicated that Iran had moved thousands of centrifuges into deep tunnels in the mountain. One option considered was attacking Iran before U.S. troop withdrawal from the region, though U.S. military sources expressed doubts about the bomb's effectiveness in achieving Trump's objectives. The New York Times reported last week that Trump had rejected five proposed military actions against Iran or the Houthis in recent months, despite their development at his request.