developing· Politics· Updated 01:58

US Defense Secretary Meets Netanyahu Unannounced Ahead of Israeli Elections

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced, secret visit to Israel on Monday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The clandestine meeting, confirmed by sources to Axios, took place eight days before the upcoming Israeli elections.

7 newsrooms · 2 languages · since 19 Oct, 22:40

Plus

US Defense Secretary Meets Netanyahu Unannounced Ahead of Israeli Elections — Illustration by baba

Photos · 1

Photos the newsrooms posted about this story, and the ones the IDF and Magen David Adom released.

Official photos are free. 1 more with Plus.

What happened

01US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced, secret visit to Israel on Monday to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
02The clandestine meeting took place eight days before the Israeli elections amid discussions on resuming military operations against Iran.
03The Pentagon, the Prime Minister's office, and the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the visit.
04The visit followed a public endorsement of Netanyahu by US President Donald Trump, who warned Iran against threatening Israel.
05The US military has developed plans to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, potentially using the GBU-43 bomb near Natanz.
06US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Central Command officials reportedly favor military pressure, while other US officials prefer diplomatic and economic measures.

The high-level talks occurred amid intense discussions between the United States and Israel regarding the potential resumption of military operations and hostilities against Iran. Neither the Pentagon nor the Prime Minister's office immediately commented on the visit.

The visit followed a public endorsement of Netanyahu by US President Donald Trump the previous day, in which Trump warned Tehran against threatening Israel and the US. According to Haaretz, the US military has developed plans at Trump's request to strike Iranian nuclear and energy infrastructure, potentially using the GBU-43 "mother of all bombs" against deep tunnels near Natanz.

While Hegseth and senior US Central Command officials reportedly advocate for renewed military pressure on Iran, other elements of the US administration favor economic and diplomatic pressure. Some US military sources have also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the proposed airstrikes.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 7 newsrooms. Updated 02:21

Latest report: The Jerusalem Post. Read The Jerusalem Post’s original