US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report from Axios.
So far, the trip and meeting haven’t been confirmed by the US or Israel, but the report said that the talks took place at the Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where US refueling planes and fighter jets are deployed. A source told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Hegseth also met with some US troops.
The reported visit comes about one week before the October 27 Israeli elections and after previous reporting from Axios that said Netanyahu and President Trump have discussed the possibility of restarting the full-scale bombing campaign against Iran. That reporting identified Hegseth as the strongest supporter of resuming strikes on Iran within the administration.
Trump and Netanyahu have also spoken openly about the idea of having to “finish the job” against Iran, something Trump said in a post on Truth Social endorsing the Israeli leader.
Also on Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir placed the Israeli military on the “highest state of alert” and suspended leave for Israeli soldiers. He said the IDF will “continue to maintain a high level of vigilance and readiness across all fronts” as the election approaches.
IDF sources told Haaretz that there were no specific warnings of a potential attack that prompted Zamir’s move, but that there were concerns that the upcoming election could encourage attempts to attack Israel. Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed Israel was facing the threat of attack before election day, though the Haaretz report said that the Israeli security establishment “has identified no escalation in threats against Israel and no call-up orders have been issued to reservists or officers in key emergency positions.”