Hegseth to visit Israel ahead of Trump’s Middle East trip – Axios

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth plans to visit Israel on May 12 for meetings with senior officials ahead of President Donald Trump’s regional trip, Axios reported.

Citing two Israeli officials, Axios said that Hegseth is expected to meet with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before traveling to Saudi Arabia to join Trump’s regional tour, which includes stops in Qatar and the UAE. The report said that Trump is not currently expected to visit Israel.

The report said that this will be Hegseth’s first visit to Israel since taking office and comes as the US and Israeli governments remain divided over the possibility of military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, while the war in Gaza and the US military campaign in Yemen continue.