US secretary of war reportedly meets Netanyahu during unannounced visit to Israel

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with ​Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to ‌Israel on Monday, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The source did not say what the two ​men discussed during the meeting, first reported by Axios.

​The Pentagon declined to comment. The Israeli prime minister's ⁠office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Hegseth ​said in a social media post that he had visited US ​service members in the Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, northeast Africa and parts of Asia.

Israel's Army Radio reported his meeting ​with Netanyahu took place at an air force base in ​Israel's southern desert.

Hegseth's visit comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East war ‌as ⁠tensions flare between the U.S. and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis intensify their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

It also came a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu ​in next week's ​parliamentary election in ⁠Israel, the country's first ballot since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel.