Hegseth meets Netanyahu in unannounced Israel visit ahead of election
Axios reports US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held an unannounced meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda Air Base eight days before the October 27 election, amid US-Israel talks on resuming strikes against Iran.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter (Jerusalem Post).
The pair met at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where the United States deploys refuelling planes and fighter jets, and Hegseth also met US troops stationed at the base. The Pentagon, the Israeli Embassy in Washington and Netanyahu’s office all declined to comment, Axios said (Jerusalem Post).
The visit lands eight days before Israel’s parliamentary election on October 27 — the country’s first vote since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. A Channel 12 poll published the same day found only 33% of respondents rated Netanyahu the most suitable next prime minister, against 45% for former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, and projected 55 seats for the anti-Netanyahu camp versus 51 for his bloc in the 120-seat Knesset (Times of Israel, NocutNews).
It also comes amid US-Israel discussions on resuming large-scale strikes against Iran, and a day after Donald Trump gave Netanyahu his “complete and total endorsement” for re-election on Truth Social (Hindustan Times). Netanyahu thanked Trump in a phone call on Sunday, according to Israel National News.
More on this topic: all World stories
