The Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseth, confirmed this Tuesday that he had a conversation the day before with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as part of a visit to the U.S. troops deployed in southern Israel.
In brief statements to the media, the head of the Pentagon explained that he traveled to Israeli territory, where "I had the opportunity to talk with the Prime Minister." "Of course, the content of our conversation is not something I will talk about, but they have been good partners and I appreciate it," he added, avoiding giving more details about the meeting.
Hegseth also emphasized that "as you already know, we have collaborated quite a bit with the Israeli Army, that is nothing new. They have extraordinary capabilities, and we appreciate their contribution to ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon." The Defense official insisted that this military cooperation has been maintained for years.
Furthermore, the Secretary of Defense explained that during his visit to the Ovda airbase in southern Israel, where U.S. personnel are located, he was able to confirm on the ground that "our fighters are preparing and are ready to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon." According to him, the preparation of the troops is part of the deterrence strategy against Tehran.
The meeting between Hegseth and Netanyahu occurs eight days before the Israeli elections and comes after U.S. President Donald Trump has once again raised the option of reactivating a large-scale offensive against Iran. Among the scenarios considered is the possible use of the GBU-43/B bomb, known as MOAB, 'the mother of all bombs,' and Trump has pointed out that the war "is going to end very soon, one way or another."