U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced Israel visit, with Reuters reporting that Iran figured in the talks after U.S. strikes began there this year.
Hegseth said on Oct. 20 that he had gone to Israel to visit American troops and had spoken with Netanyahu. Reuters reported that the meeting took place Oct. 19. Hegseth declined to describe their private conversation.
Netanyahu spokesperson Doron Spielman told Reuters the two met at Uvda Air Force Base in southern Israel. He described talks about regional threats and how the allies cooperate on offense and defense. Three Israeli officials separately told Reuters that Iran was among the subjects.
Axios reported, citing two sources, that American fighter jets and refueling aircraft were deployed at the base. Neither Hegseth nor Spielman announced a new military operation.
U.S. Central Command said U.S. and partner forces began strikes against targets in Iran on Feb. 28. Netanyahu’s office published a national security doctrine Oct. 18 that prioritizes preventive and offensive action against developing threats.
In an Oct. 19 statement from an Israeli air base, Netanyahu said his country was ready to strike enemies when necessary. He did not announce a new operation in that statement.
Netanyahu also posted a video of an Oct. 19 call with U.S. President Donald Trump. In it, he told Trump they had “a job to finish” together, without identifying an operation or a timetable.
Trump had endorsed Netanyahu’s reelection bid on Oct. 18, saying he could “soon finish the job” against Iran unless it changed course. He suggested that another Israeli leader might leave the United States to act alone, though he said he was reluctant to do so.
Asked on Oct. 20 about Hegseth’s meeting, Trump declined to discuss it. Israel’s Knesset election is scheduled for Oct. 27, and the next regularly scheduled U.S. federal general election is Nov. 3.
