Hegseth discusses Iran war with Netanyahu on unannounced visit to Israel, officials say

Doron Spielman, the prime minister's spokesman, later confirmed to Reuters that Netanyahu had met with Hegseth at the Uvda air base in the Negev desert region of southern Israel.

Netanyahu and Hegseth discussed “the threats in the region” and the partnership between the United States and Israel to deal with those threats, both offensively and defensively, Spielman said in a brief phone conversation.

Hegseth also thanked Israel for hosting American forces, which, according to Spielman, number thousands of troops, and discussed President Donald Trump's support for the Israeli prime minister.

On Sunday (18), Trump declared support for Netanyahu in next week's Israeli parliamentary election, the first vote in the country since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Earlier, Hegseth published in X that he had visited American military personnel in the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command, which covers the Middle East, northeast Africa and parts of Asia.

Hegseth's visit comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz and the intensification of attacks by the Houthis, a group in Yemen allied with Iran, against Saudi Arabia.

American and Israeli forces launched joint strikes against Iran in late February, triggering a wider war in the Middle East. Netanyahu told Israeli media this month that he does not intend to attack Iran before Israeli elections on October 27. Trump has said he will not attack Iran before the US midterm elections in November.