Hegseth Meets Netanyahu in Unannounced Visit to Israeli Air Base as Iran Tensions Rise
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Uvda air force base in southern Israel on Monday in a visit that had not been announced in advance, as tensions between the United States and Iran kept rising.
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Israel on Monday for an unannounced meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as tensions between the United States and Iran continued to rise.
The meeting took place at the Uvda air force base in Israel’s southern Negev desert, a spokesman for Netanyahu, Doron Spielman, confirmed to Reuters. The visit had not been disclosed in advance, and Hegseth posted on social media about visiting American service members under U.S. Central Command without saying he was in Israel or mentioning the meeting.
Spielman said Netanyahu and Hegseth discussed “the threats in the region” and the American-Israeli partnership in dealing with those threats, both offensively and defensively. Hegseth also thanked Israel for hosting American forces, which Spielman said numbered in the thousands.
Air base hosting American aircraft
Uvda hosts American fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft, according to Axios, which first reported the meeting. Aerial refueling is required for long-range air operations, and the location drew attention as Washington and Jerusalem weigh a return to large-scale operations against Iran.
The Pentagon has not publicly commented on the visit.
Elections on both sides
The visit came a day after Trump endorsed Netanyahu in Israel’s Oct. 27 parliamentary election, the country’s first national vote since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Israel goes to the polls next week, with the American midterms following in November. Netanyahu has told Israeli media he is not seeking to attack Iran before the Israeli election, and Trump has said he will not attack Iran before the U.S. midterms.
Tensions have continued to rise over the Strait of Hormuz and over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. American and Israeli forces launched joint strikes against Iran in late February, setting off the wider Middle East war, and Israel has hosted additional American forces, including military aircraft, since at least February.
Reporting based on coverage by Axios, Reuters, CBS News, and Devdiscourse.
