Before the Israeli elections...a surprise meeting between Netanyahu and Hegseth

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

The American website Axios revealed, on Tuesday, that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel, during which he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a sensitive time days before the Israeli elections, amid US-Israeli discussions regarding the possibility of resuming broad military operations against Iran.

In an exclusive report by journalist Barak Ravid, the website quoted two informed sources as saying that Hegseth met with Netanyahu on Monday during a previously unannounced visit.

The visit comes 8 days before the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, and in light of discussions between Washington and Tel Aviv regarding the possibility of resuming major combat operations against Iran.

According to Axios, the Pentagon and the Israeli embassy refused to comment on the visit. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office also did not provide an immediate response to the site's request for comment regarding the meeting.

The report did not reveal the agenda or duration of the meeting, nor did it clarify whether the two parties had reached new understandings regarding the Iranian file.

The timing of the meeting is of particular importance, given that it coincides with the approaching Israeli elections, and the continuation of consultations between Washington and Tel Aviv regarding possible military options towards Tehran.

On October 13, the Axios website published a report that dealt with American-Israeli deliberations regarding the timing of any new strike on Iran, and whether it would be better to implement it before the Israeli elections or wait until after them.

The website also revealed, in a previous report, a meeting that included senior national security officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump at Camp David, to discuss files related to Iran, Yemen, and the Houthis.

In a related context, Trump announced his support for Netanyahu before the Israeli elections, stressing in statements reported by Axios the importance of cooperation between them in confronting Iran.

But the new report did not specify whether Hegseth's visit was directly related to the elections or an imminent military decision. The nature of the discussions and their results remain unannounced, pending official clarifications from Washington or Tel Aviv.