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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just eight days before Israel’s upcoming elections.

On Tuesday, in comments to reporters back in the U.S., Hegseth said that he was there “visiting our troops” and “had a chance to talk to the prime minister,” but that he would not discuss the subject of their meeting.

Hegseth met Netanyahu at the Ovda Air Base in southern Israel.

The visit comes amid discussions between the U.S. and Israel about a renewed assault on Iran. According to The Financial Times, Netanyahu had sought to launch a renewed attack on Iran earlier in October, but Trump dissuaded the attack, stating that it should not occur before the U.S. midterm elections. Hegseth, however, is reportedly among the strongest supporters of renewed strikes on Iran.

Hegseth’s visit came a day after Trump endorsed Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.”

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