Hegseth meets Netanyahu in unannounced Israel visit

Hegseth has travelled to Israel to meet Netanyahu ahead of a closely contested election, Axios reported, citing sources. Save Share US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an undisclosed visit to Israel, according to Axios. The meeting between the hawkish ally of US President Donald Trump and the veteran Israeli premier facing a knife-edge election occurred on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. The Reuters news agency could not immediately confirm the visit. The Pentagon and Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate indication of what they discussed. President Trumptookto his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday toendorseNetanyahu in next week’s parliamentary election, the first vote since theHamas-ledOctober 7 attacks in 2023 and Israel’sgenocidalcampaign in Gaza began. Trump praised the prime minister for being an ally of the US in its war on Iran. He added that Netanyahu had his “Complete and Total Endorsement”. “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote. Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, although theoppositionmay also struggle to form a government, opinion polls suggest. US Vice President JD Vance, however, declined to endorse Netanyahu in an interview earlier on Monday, saying he was not getting involved in Israeli elections. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on is the midterms,” Vance, who travelled to Budapest andendorsedViktor Orban in Hungarian elections earlier this year, said in an interview with digital media outlet 2WAY. “I’m not anti-endorsing him, but I’m not pro-endorsing him; I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said. Follow Al Jazeera English: