US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a secret visit to Israel on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
The meeting brought together Hegseth, a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, and Netanyahu, Israel’s longtime prime minister, who is facing a closely contested election.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense told Al Jazeera that the department declined to comment on the report.
In a social media post, Hegseth said he had travelled to the US Central Command’s area of responsibility to meet American military personnel. The command’s area covers the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia.
Israel’s Army Radio reported that Hegseth met Netanyahu at an airbase in the country’s southern desert region.
Earlier, Trump expressed support for Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election scheduled for next week in a post on his Truth Social platform. The election will be the first since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which the source describes as genocidal.
Trump praised Netanyahu for Israel’s role as a US ally in the war against Iran. He also declared that he had “full and unconditional support” for the Israeli prime minister.
