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Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Netanyahu spokesman confirms Hegseth meeting, says pair discussed ‘threats in region’
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A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms to Reuters that the premier met yesterday with visiting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the prime minister, confirms Netanyahu met with Hegseth at the Ovda Air Force base in southern Israel.
Netanyahu and Hegseth discussed “the threats in the region” and the US-Israel partnership in dealing both offensively and defensively with those threats, Spielman says.
Hegseth also thanked Israel for hosting US forces, who Spielman says number in the thousands, and discussed US President Donald Trump’s support for the prime minister.
“There’s a deep personal relationship here that was at the core of this discussion,” Spielman adds.
The meeting was kept secret at the time and not revealed until it was reported overnight in Axios that the pair met in private, a week ahead of Israel’s national election.
The Times of Israel Community.