Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to visit Israel just before President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip, according to Axios’ Barak Ravid, citing Israeli officials.
Ravid reports that Hegseth is expected to arrive in Israel on May 12 for meetings with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following these discussions, he will join President Trump on his Middle Eastern tour.
The White House previously announced that Trump will travel to the region from May 13 to May 16, with visits planned to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
This will be Hegseth’s first visit to Israel since assuming the role of Defense Secretary. His trip comes amid growing tensions between the US and Israel over potential military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Hegseth’s visit also takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza and the US military campaign in Yemen.
Earlier, the Washington Post reported that President Trump’s decision to oust his national security adviser, Michael Waltz, came in February, during the Oval Office visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when Waltz appeared to share the Israeli leader’s conviction that the time was ripe to strike Iran.
On Saturday night, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying, “Contrary to the Washington Post report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not have intensive contact with Mike Waltz on Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu had a warm meeting with Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff at Blair House in February prior to the Prime Minister’s meeting with President Trump at the White House. Mike Waltz also joined Vice President JD Vance in a meeting with the Prime Minister before leaving Washington. Since then, the Prime Minister, the former National Security Advisor, and Steve Witkoff had one phone conversation that did not deal with Iran. We congratulate Mr. Waltz on his important appointment to the United Nations.”
Yes, Waltz was not booted from the Trump administration, he was upgraded to UN ambassador.
According to Ravid, Israeli defense officials and pro-Israel groups in Washington have voiced concern that several of President Trump’s Pentagon appointees seem wary of US military engagement in the Middle East—especially regarding Iran.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his advisers have been actively urging their American counterparts to keep a military option on the table for dealing with Iran.
Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Ynet on Saturday that Israel may launch a strike against Iran even before nuclear negotiations between the United States and the regime in Tehran are concluded.
Dr. Diker stated “Iran has been dealt a blow. They’ve been hit very hard, certainly in the last nine months by Israel.” According to Diker, Israeli operations over the past year have destroyed most of Iran’s air defense systems. He added that both Israel—and more recently the United States—have inflicted significant damage on Iran’s regional terror proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
“Iran is at its most vulnerable point in 45 years, and Israel has the opportunity to take military action,” Diker told Ynet. “It’s just a question of stages.”
