Hegseth meets Netanyahu in unannounced visit to Israel: Axios

WASHINGTON – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Oct 19, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge.

The Pentagon and Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

News of Hegseth’s trip comes a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in Israel’s parliamentary election to be held in October – its first vote since the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, that shook the country and plunged the Middle East into turmoil, as Israel went to war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, although the opposition may also struggle to form a government, opinion polls show. REUTERS