US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held a secret meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel this week, Axios reported, citing sources with knowledge. Neither Tel Aviv nor Washington has issued a statement about the reported meeting, which followed US President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu for next week’s parliamentary election in Israel.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance, who has openly blamed Netanyahu for dragging the US into the war, has declined to endorse Netanyahu in an interview earlier on Monday, saying he was not getting involved in Israeli elections. Opinion polls suggest that Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is likely to lose its governing majority, while the opposition may also struggle to form a government. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East North Africa programme at the British think tank Chatham House, pointed out that Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu, which comes after months of tension between the two leaders, is “politically significant. Analysts also point out that Trump’s endorsement has been heavily focused on the Iran war, especially as the US president might be looking to restart attacks, either before or after the midterm elections in early November. Several US media reports have suggested that the Pentagon might even be preparing to relaunch attacks before voters head to the polls. “He is explicitly taking ownership of the partnership and its military campaign against Iran. Vakil added that for Tehran, the statement will reinforce the belief of Iranian leaders that there is “little meaningful distinction between US and Israeli objectives.
However, the endorsement does not necessarily mean that the two leaders have agreed on another operation, nor does it settle the question of who initially pushed hardest for war,” she said.
