Play store
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has visited Israel on an unannounced trip and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to US media outlet Axios, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The meeting took place on Monday, ahead of Israel’s closely contested parliamentary election scheduled for next week.
The Pentagon and the Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the visit. Details of the discussions were not disclosed.
Hegseth is a close ally of US President Donald Trump, who has publicly endorsed Netanyahu ahead of the election.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, Trump expressed support for the Israeli prime minister, praising him for standing alongside the United States in its war against Iran. Trump wrote that Netanyahu would never let Israelis down.
The upcoming election will be Israel’s first since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Opinion polls suggest that Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition could lose its parliamentary majority. However, opposition parties may also face difficulties forming a government.
Meanwhile, US Vice-President JD Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu during an interview on Monday, saying he did not intend to get involved in Israel’s election.
“I endorse American candidates, and my focus is on the midterm elections,” Vance said.
