US Defense Secretary Makes Surprise Visit, Meets Netanyahu and Katz

U.S. Secretary of Defense the U.S. Secretary of Defense arrived in Israel on Monday for a brief, hours-long visit, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz at an air force base in southern Israel. The secret meeting, which reportedly included foreign officials such as representatives from the United Arab Emirates, took place at Ovda base in the Negev. Israeli officials confirmed the meeting between Netanyahu and the U.S. Secretary of Defense at the southern air base but did not provide details on the discussions or the identities of other participants. The prime minister reportedly flew to the meeting from Ben Gurion Airport and its scheduling led to the cancellation of his planned attendance at a game at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of Defense posted photos on his X account of a meeting with U.S. soldiers in the CENTCOM area of operations, describing them as "our front-line warriors on CENTCOM" and "the finest our country has to offer, on a historic mission."