Pentagon chief to visit Israel ahead of Trump's Middle East trip, Axios reports
Photo: Pete Hegseth, Pentagon Chief (Getty Images)
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is set to visit Israel ahead of the scheduled trip of US President Donald Trump to the Middle East, according to Axios.
Hegseth is expected to arrive in Israel on May 12. During his visit, he will meet with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following his visit to Israel, the Pentagon chief will travel to Saudi Arabia to join Trump's trip to the Gulf states. The US president will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. However, there are no expectations that Trump will visit Israel, according to Axios.
This will be Hegseth’s first trip to Israel as the US Secretary of Defense. Western media also note that the visit comes at a time when the governments of the two countries are "divided" on the issue of potential military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, amid the ongoing war in Gaza and the US military campaign in Yemen.
According to Axios, Israeli defense officials and pro-Israel organizations in Washington have expressed concerns that many of those appointed by Trump to positions at the Pentagon are skeptical about US military involvement in the Middle East, particularly regarding Iran.
Western media also report that Netanyahu and his advisors have been convincing their US counterparts of the necessity of military action against Iran.
Potential strikes on Iran
The Washington Post reported yesterday that in February, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the possibility of launching strikes on Iran, which upset Trump.
According to The New York Times, in May, Israel planned to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, but Trump rejected the idea as Tehran agreed to negotiations on the nuclear deal, and several meetings took place in April.
Expansion of Israeli operations in Gaza
Last evening, Western media reported that Israeli military officials had issued conscription orders for thousands of reservists to expand operations in the Gaza Strip. Bloomberg also reported on the readiness of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to intensify operations in Gaza, with the operation potentially expanding in the coming days.
