Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday made an unannounced visit to Israel, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss tensions with Iran and possible future developments.
Senior Israeli security officials, who spoke to Epoch Magazine Israel, said the meeting also covered the ongoing fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis. Hegseth also met with other senior officials, they said, adding that no further details about the discussions had been released.
The Pentagon and Netanyahu’s office declined to comment.
Hegseth acknowledged visiting U.S. troops in the region in a post on X, without identifying Israel or mentioning his meeting with Netanyahu.
“As always, it was an honor to visit our warfighters in @CENTCOM today. The best of our country, on a historic mission. Godspeed,” he wrote, referring to U.S. Central Command.
The visit comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis, an Iran-aligned group in Yemen.
Avoiding Escalation Before Midterms
At this stage, the Israeli security officials said, the U.S. position is to avoid an escalation with Iran until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, amid concerns that renewed fighting during this period could harm the Republican Party’s interests.
Iran and the United States have largely refrained from striking each other in recent weeks. However, U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is still weighing whether to reach a deal with Iran’s leadership or “annihilate” the country.
Netanyahu on Monday released a video filmed during a visit to an Israeli Air Force base, in which he warned Israel’s enemies against testing the country’s resolve.
“I say to our enemies: Do not test us. You will be hit harder than you have been so far,” he said.
Netanyahu praised Israel’s pilots, aircrews, ground crews, military, and government for their achievements, adding, “We are determined to defend ourselves.”
War Disrupts Oil Flows
The U.S.–Iran war began in February, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
The conflict has sharply slowed Middle East crude oil shipments and helped push up U.S. gasoline prices, adding to political pressure on Trump, whose approval rating has fallen, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Trump has repeatedly said he expects oil prices to drop after the November elections, but his plan to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains unclear.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route, has been targeted by Iran since the war began. Officials in Tehran have repeatedly said that closing the strait to tankers is a way to pressure Washington into making a deal that’s more favorable to Iran by pushing up oil prices.
Saeed Laylaz, an economist and adviser to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, said that Tehran is intentionally dragging out peace talks with Washington to pressure Trump ahead of the midterms.
By prolonging the talks, “Iran is influencing the U.S. election without taking any unlawful action,” Laylaz said.
Iranian attacks and threats against shipping have reduced traffic through the strait to a trickle, while a U.S. maritime blockade and trade sanctions have curtailed Iran’s oil export revenues and deepened its economic troubles.
‘A Job to Finish’
Hegseth’s visit also came a day after Trump endorsed Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 parliamentary election, the country’s first since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu faces a tight reelection race widely viewed as a referendum on his leadership surrounding the Oct. 7 attack and during a series of inconclusive wars, including with Iran.
In a video of a phone call with Trump released by Netanyahu, the Israeli leader thanked the U.S. president for his endorsement and said the two countries had unfinished work in Iran.
“Donald, we have a job to finish. You said it, and we’ll finish it together … no one else will do it,” Netanyahu said, with Trump audible on speakerphone.
“People in America should know that you have stood up against the greatest danger that faces them—an Iran with nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu added. “We won’t let it happen.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
