Hegseth Meets Netanyahu at Ovda Base Ahead of Israel Vote

Pete Hegseth, the US war secretary, arrived in Israel unannounced on Monday evening, October 19, and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda air base in the south of the country. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also attended. The meeting came eight days before the Knesset election set for October 27, at a time when, according to American and Israeli media, Washington and Jerusalem are weighing a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran.

What is known about the Hegseth-Netanyahu meeting, and what is not confirmed?

Axios broke the news of the visit, citing two sources. A US military official then confirmed it to CBS News, while CNN relied on two sources and one American official. American refueling aircraft and fighter jets are stationed at Ovda, and Hegseth also visited US troops there.

Israel’s Ynet reports that the meeting lasted unusually long and that Netanyahu’s convoy first went to Ben Gurion airport, from where the prime minister flew to Ovda on a private plane rather than a helicopter. The paper links the trip to the fact that Netanyahu skipped the soccer match between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which he had originally planned to attend.

Hegseth posted photos on X with members of US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, along with the message: “The best of our country, on a historic mission. Good luck to you.” He did not say he was in Israel or that he had met Netanyahu.

The Pentagon declined to comment, as did the Israeli embassy in Washington, and the prime minister’s office did not respond to an inquiry. Israeli military radio reported that representatives of the United Arab Emirates also attended the meeting, but that has not been independently confirmed.

What was discussed: sources disagree

The National writes that the two sides discussed a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran. Ynet, meanwhile, stresses that no details of the talks have been released and that it is unclear whether a new strike was discussed at all.

Background comes from an Axios report from last week, relayed by Ynet: Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have spoken several times about a joint operation against Iran, even before the Israeli election and the American midterm elections a week later. Netanyahu voiced concern over Israeli intelligence that Iran is rebuilding its nuclear program. According to the same report, Trump made no commitment, and a US official said the president encouraged Netanyahu to prepare but that this was not a promise of an attack. Hegseth and the leadership of Central Command are named among the strongest advocates of new strikes, while most of Trump’s advisers for now favor continued economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran.

The White House denied that Trump and Netanyahu discussed resuming the war and said the US will not attack Iran before the November midterms. The Media Line recalls that Netanyahu said last week he does not plan new strikes before October 27, and that neither Washington nor Jerusalem has announced a decision to resume major operations. Joint American-Israeli strikes on Iran in February set off a wider regional conflict, and tension over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues.

Trump’s endorsement before the election

The day before the meeting, Trump publicly backed Netanyahu’s candidacy. The National says he called him a “great warrior prime minister,” while Ynet quotes the phrase “great wartime prime minister” from Trump’s post on Truth Social. According to Ynet, Trump also warned that if Israel chooses a different leader, the US might have to act against Iran on its own.

Netanyahu thanked him in a video on Tuesday. “Donald, we have a job to finish. You said it, and we will finish it together,” the Israeli prime minister said.

US Vice President JD Vance did not join the endorsement. In an interview with 2WAY, relayed by Ynet, he said: “I am not getting involved in Israeli elections.” Ynet recalls that Vance publicly backed Viktor Orban earlier this year and traveled to Budapest ahead of the Hungarian election, which Orban lost. The Media Line adds that polls show Netanyahu’s coalition could lose its parliamentary majority, though his opponents would also struggle to form a government.

The National judges that Trump’s support reflects shared interests on Iran, but notes that the two leaders reportedly differ in their assessment of the course of the war and the prospects for diplomatic initiatives in Gaza. There is no public confirmation that the endorsement is tied to Israeli concessions or new military steps.

Israel’s army cancels leave

On the same day, the Israeli army announced a series of emergency measures. After a threat assessment across multiple fronts, led by Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir, it decided the following:

• leave is canceled for all units starting Thursday;
• more senior officers will staff operations centers and commands;
• more troops are being sent to the West Bank.

Zamir said the army’s task is to ensure the election goes ahead on schedule and safely. The army stresses it has no specific intelligence about an imminent Iranian attack. Ynet adds that last week Zamir discussed with General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, a possible resumption of major fighting with Iran within three weeks, noting that such an operation could lead to a postponement of the Israeli election, since Iran is expected to respond with missiles.

Netanyahu released a video from the air base at around the same time, according to Ynet. “We have the readiness, the determination and the ability to strike our enemies whenever necessary,” he said in the clip.