Hegseth traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the close election, Axios reported, citing sources.
Published October 20, 2026
According to Axios, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Israel privately and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A meeting between a hawkish ally of US President Donald Trump and the veteran Israeli prime minister facing a tough election took place on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
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Reuters could not immediately confirm the visit. The Pentagon and the Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it was unclear what the two sides discussed.
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President Trump announced on Sunday on his social media platform Truth Social that he would support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in next week’s parliamentary elections. The election will be the first in 2023 since the Hamas-led October 7 attack and the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
President Trump praised the prime minister for being an ally of the United States in the war with Iran. He added that Prime Minister Netanyahu has his “full and complete support.”
“Bibi Netanyahu will never let you down!” Trump wrote.
Opinion polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is expected to lose its ruling majority, but opposition parties may also struggle to form a government.
However, US Vice President J.D. Vance refused to support him, saying in an interview early Monday that Netanyahu had no involvement in Israel’s elections.
Vance, who visited Budapest earlier this year and supported Viktor Orbán in the Hungarian elections, said in an interview with digital media 2WAY, “I support the American candidate and am focused on the midterm elections.”
“I’m not anti-supporting him, but I’m not supporting him either. I’m not involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said.
