Hegseth reportedly meets Netanyahu during secret visit to Israel
Meeting said to have been held at Ovda airbase, where US jets are stationed; US defense secretary confirms previously unannounced visit to region to meet troops, but doesn't specify location
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly held a secret meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, according to the Axios news outlet, citing two sources with knowledge of the meeting.
Following the report, Hegseth confirmed that he had made an unannounced trip to the Middle East, but did not specify his location or travels, saying only that he had met with US troops while in the region.
The meeting between Hegseth and the Israeli leader took place at the Ovda airbase in southern Israel, sources told Axios, where US fighter jets and refuelers are stationed.
It was not clear from the report whether any other Israeli officials or military personnel were present at the meeting.
News of Hegseth’s trip came a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in next week’s election — Israel’s first since the Hamas terror group’s devastating attack on October 7, 2023, which shook the country and plunged it into war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
It also took place against the backdrop of talks regarding the possibility of renewed fighting against Iran, as the stalemate between Washington and Tehran stretches on with no end in sight.
According to the Ynet news outlet, Netanyahu flew to the meeting by private plane from Ben Gurion Airport, rather than traveling by helicopter as is standard for meetings in southern Israel.
Israel’s Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reports, and the Pentagon and the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.
However, several hours after the initial reporting, Hegseth confirmed making a trip to the Middle East, without specifying an exact location.
“It was an honor to visit our warfighters in @CENTCOM today. The best of our country, on a historic mission. Godspeed,” he wrote on X.
As always, it was an honor to visit our warfighters in @CENTCOM today. The best of our country, on a historic mission. Godspeed. pic.twitter.com/UO094Mvw1e
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 20, 2026
The US Central Command is the US military command responsible for operations and policy in the Middle East.
Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu had released two videos several hours apart, both filmed at the Ramat David airbase in northern Israel.
In the first video, the prime minister warned Israel’s enemies not to test the country’s resolve, and stressed the Israeli Air Force’s “readiness, determination and capability to strike our enemies whenever required.”
The second video put out by Netanyahu on Monday night was a snippet of a phone call with Trump, in which he thanked him for endorsing him for reelection and hailed him for joining Israel in attacking Iran in February.
Netanyahu hinted at a return to war with Iran during the phone call, telling Trump that they have “a job to finish” and that they would “finish it together.”