Vance rules out endorsing Netanyahu as Hegseth reportedly meets him before Israel election

New Delhi: Eight days before Israel votes on its next government, the US secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, reportedly held an undisclosed meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday. Neither government has publicly disclosed its purpose ahead of the October 27 parliamentary election.

Hegseth met Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, Axios reported. The Pentagon and the Israeli embassy have not yet commented on the meeting. Hegseth also met US troops at the base and later posted a photograph of his visit to personnel under US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees American military operations across the Middle East and other regions.

Vance stays out of Israeli election

Hours after the reported Hegseth-Netanyahu meeting, the US vice-president, JD Vance, said he would not get involved in Israel’s election, drawing a distinction between his position and that of the US president, Donald Trump, who has endorsed Netanyahu.

“The president has the most influential endorsement in American or international political history,” Vance said. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on the midterms.”

Vance made the remarks during an interview on 2WAY Tonight while travelling to North Carolina to campaign for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley.

Vance has previously campaigned for a foreign leader, travelling to Hungary last spring to support the then prime minister, Viktor Orban, whose party subsequently lost the parliamentary election.

Trump changes course with Netanyahu endorsement

Hegseth’s reported meeting with Netanyahu also followed Trump’s public endorsement of the Israeli prime minister on Sunday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump offered his “Complete and Total Endorsement”, describing Netanyahu as a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and praising his leadership during the confrontation with Iran, as RNA Media reported earlier.

Trump also warned that the US might have to confront Iran without Netanyahu as prime minister. The endorsement marked a shift from his earlier reluctance to back Netanyahu’s re-election bid, amid disagreements over the Iran war, Israeli operations in Lebanon and regional ceasefire efforts.

Netanyahu also thanked Trump in a post on X, saying the two leaders would complete their mission together. In a separate English-language video, he described the endorsement as an honour and urged Israelis to consider Trump’s support when voting.

Iran conflict and election calculations

The timing of Hegseth’s meeting and Trump’s endorsement places US-Israel ties in focus before Israel’s October 27 election and the November 3 US midterms. Both developments come amid disagreements over the Iran war, with Vance previously accusing some Israeli officials of undermining Washington’s efforts to end the conflict. Israel’s election will determine the composition of the 120-member Knesset, with a government requiring the support of at least 61 lawmakers. The vote is the country’s first national election since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and the subsequent wars involving Gaza, Lebanon and Iran