The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has confirmed he made an unannounced visit to Israel. He met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Uvda Air Force Base in the south of the country.
Hegseth said the two men spoke in private. He refused to describe what they discussed.
Three Israeli officials told Reuters that Iran was among the subjects. A spokesman for Netanyahu, Doron Spielman, confirmed the meeting. He said the two sides discussed regional threats and cooperation on offence and defence.
President Donald Trump also declined to discuss the meeting. He endorsed Netanyahu’s bid for re-election on Oct 18.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that the US is drawing up new strike plans against Iran. The report said the plans include the GBU-43/B bomb, known as the “mother of all bombs”, for use against Iranian energy and nuclear sites.
The visit comes one week before Israel’s Knesset election, set for Oct 27.
The timing shows Washington and Tel Aviv are keeping close contact as fighting continues in the region and a key election draws near.
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