U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagges made a surprise visit to Israel on October 19, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Axios.
This unannounced visit has drawn attention as it comes amid serious discussions between the U.S. and Israel regarding the potential resumption of large-scale military operations against Iran.
However, Axios reported that both the U.S. Department of Defense and the Israeli embassy in Washington declined to confirm Hagges' visit, and the Prime Minister's office did not immediately comment.
The timing of the visit is politically significant, occurring just eight days before Israel's general elections. Netanyahu is facing a challenging election, trailing significantly behind opposition candidates.
Recent polling by Israel's Channel 12 indicated that Netanyahu has a support rate of only 33%, while his main opponent, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leads with 45%. In this context, President Donald Trump publicly declared his "complete and total support" for Netanyahu the day before.
Trump, who had previously hesitated to openly support Netanyahu due to disagreements over issues like Lebanon and Gaza, made his first clear endorsement ahead of the elections.
In response, Netanyahu expressed deep gratitude during a phone call with Trump, praising him as "a remarkable leader of the free world and Israel's greatest friend ever to occupy the White House." He added, "Donald, we have work to finish in Iran. We will finish it together, and no one else can do it."
Trump replied, "You are a warrior. You have been treated unfairly by your country and perhaps others, but you are a great warrior, and we will prove that."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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