Unannounced Israel trip: Hegseth meets Netanyahu – ‘we have a job to finish’
The US defence secretary reportedly met the prime minister a week before the election. Netanyahu earlier released a call with Trump. Vice President Vance is staying out of the race.
Archive image · Photo: DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Madelyn Keech / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel, Axios reported. The Pentagon declined to comment on Monday and Reuters could not immediately confirm the trip. There was no indication of what the two discussed.
On Monday, Netanyahu released a video of a phone call with US President Donald Trump. In it, according to CBS News, he says: “Donald, we have a job to finish.” Trump calls him “the man I want by my side”. Visiting an air base, Netanyahu warned Israel's enemies: “Do not test us,” the Times of Israel reported.
Trump on Sunday gave Netanyahu his “Complete and Total Endorsement” ahead of the October 27 parliamentary election. Vice President JD Vance kept his distance: “I'm not anti-endorsing him, but I'm not pro-endorsing him; I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections.” Polls suggest Netanyahu's coalition will lose its majority, but the opposition may also struggle to form a government.