US defence secretary meets Netanyahu in unannounced Israel visit

JERUSALEM — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday during an unannounced visit to Israel, according to Axios, which cited two sources with knowledge of the trip.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the visit. The Pentagon declined to comment. Israel's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Al Jazeera Arabic, citing Israel's Channel 13 in a Telegram post, said Hegseth was in Israel on Monday and met Netanyahu for two hours. The post was not confirmed by a news outlet or an official statement at the time of publication.

The trip comes a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in next week's parliamentary election in Israel. Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu in an interview on Monday. "I'm not anti-endorsing him, but I'm not pro-endorsing him, I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections," Vance said, according to the interview with the digital media outlet 2WAY.

Opinion polls show Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority. The polls also suggest the opposition may struggle to form a government.

Background

The election is Israel's first national vote since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Israel subsequently went to war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, according to Reuters.