Jerusalem, October 20 — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, three Israeli officials told Reuters, as tensions flare between the United States and Iran. The meeting was first reported by Axios. The Pentagon declined to comment.

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the prime minister, later confirmed to Reuters that Netanyahu had met Hegseth at the Uvda Air Force Base in Israel's southern Negev desert. Netanyahu and Hegseth discussed 'the threats in the region' and the US-Israel partnership in dealing both offensively and defensively with those threats, he said. Hegseth also thanked Israel for hosting US forces, which Spielman said numbered in the thousands, and discussed President Donald Trump's support for the prime minister.

Hegseth said in a social media post that he had visited US service members in the Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, northeast Africa and parts of Asia, but he did not specify where he had met the forces. Israel's Army Radio reported the meeting with Netanyahu took place at an air force base in Israel's southern desert.

The visit comes amid rising tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis intensify their attacks on Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. US and Israeli forces launched joint strikes against Iran in late February, setting off the wider Middle East war. Netanyahu told Israeli media this month that he is not seeking to attack Iran before the October 27 Israeli election, and Trump has said he will not attack Iran before the US midterm elections in November. On Sunday, Trump endorsed Netanyahu in next week's parliamentary election in Israel, the country's first ballot since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Sources: Reuters reporting (three Israeli officials; Prime Minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman); meeting first reported by Axios; Al Jazeera.