Hegseth Makes Secret Visit To Netanyahu

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a secret visit to Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday Axios reported Tuesday, as President Donald Trump simultaneously stated that the US can halt military operations against Iran at this time if guarantees are provided that Tehran will not obtain a nuclear weapon, and as Iranian FM Araghchi declared that Iran-Russia relations have reached their highest historical level following Lavrov's visit to Tehran.

Axios reported that Hegseth met Netanyahu on Monday in an unannounced visit, eight days before Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27. The Pentagon and the Israeli Embassy both declined to comment on the visit, and Netanyahu's office had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

The Visit's Context

The secret visit came as discussions between Washington and Tel Aviv continue regarding the possibility of launching a new large-scale military operation against Iran, against a backdrop of ongoing regional tensions and differing views on how to handle the Iran file. Axios reported on October 13 that Trump and Netanyahu had discussed in a phone call the possibility of conducting a new large-scale military operation against Iran, a conversation that took place ahead of both Israeli elections and the US midterm elections on November 3.

Trump has publicly expressed openness to halting military operations if Iran commits to not acquiring nuclear weapons. "I don't know who I'm negotiating with inside Iran anymore because the first and second tier leadership and half the third are gone," Trump said, acknowledging that the elimination of successive layers of Iranian military and political leadership has complicated identifying a reliable negotiating counterpart.

Trump stated that the remaining Iranian leaders who have survived have asked for the strikes to stop but want guarantees that their fate will not be the same as those killed in the operations. He reiterated that the US will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon and that ensuring that objective is met makes it preferable to halt operations. He confirmed American forces have destroyed Iranian radar systems and air defense systems.

Araghchi: Iran-Russia Relations At Historic Peak

Iranian FM Araghchi posted on X following Lavrov's departure from Tehran: "Never in our history have Iran and Russia cooperated and worked together with the closeness of today." The post came after Araghchi welcomed Lavrov and described their discussions as covering regional developments from Europe to West Asia, including Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine, and Yemen, with emphasis on expanding economic and nuclear cooperation.

Lavrov's visit to Tehran was the first by a Russian foreign minister since the Middle East war began with the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February 2026. The previous formal visit by Russia's foreign minister to Iran dated to February 2025. The visit came within a broader framework of intensified Russian mediation efforts and Moscow's stated goal of preventing the conflict from escalating into a wider war, particularly after the indirect US-Iran negotiations hit a deadlock.

Russia's diplomatic movements in recent weeks have been significant. In early October, Putin told Iranian President Pezeshkian that Moscow is fully ready to participate in mediation efforts. Lavrov reaffirmed at the UN General Assembly in late September that Russia is working to achieve security and stability in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf region.

The Iran-Russia strategic relationship has grown substantially in military and economic dimensions since 2022 and the start of the Ukraine war, reaching a new phase of partnership that Araghchi described Tuesday as unprecedented in the two countries' shared history.