U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth secretly visited Israel on Monday (October 19) and met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is facing a fierce election, Axios reported, citing sources. This visit followed U.S. President Donald Trump's public endorsement of Netanyahu's re-election bid on Sunday (October 18) via the Truth Social platform, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance's earlier refusal to intervene in the Israeli election on Monday. The content of the talks remains unclear.