Pete Hegseth holds secret talks with Netanyahu at ...

Summary

• Pete Hegseth flew to Israel on Monday for an unannounced meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, two sources with knowledge said.
• Pete Hegseth also spent time with US troops there, a source said, then shared a photo from the stop.
• For now, the talks led by Pete Hegseth leave open whether the two allies will restart major strikes on Iran, and neither side has said what comes next.

AI Generated Summary

Pete Hegseth flew to Israel on Monday for an unannounced meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, two sources with knowledge said.

They met at Ovda Air Base, deep in southern Israel. Refueling planes and fighter jets from the US sit at that base.

Pete Hegseth also spent time with US troops there, a source said, then shared a photo from the stop.

Why Pete Hegseth made the trip

The visit came just over a week before Israelis vote. It also came as Washington and Israel talk about restarting major combat operations against Iran.

Neither government has said it reached any verdict on the Iran war. Even so, the timing drew notice, because Donald Trump had endorsed Netanyahu the day before.

After the endorsement, Netanyahu phoned the president. He told Trump, “we have a job to finish.” Trump replied, “We’ll finish it, and nobody else will do it.”