October 21, 2026
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority “Kan” revealed the details of a secret meeting held at the “Uvda” Air Base between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in the presence of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, in light of Israeli military preparations for the possibility of an Iranian attack.
According to a report prepared by journalists Itai Blumenthal and Gilly Cohen, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and senior officers of the General Staff were absent from the meeting, and assistants and advisors to Israeli officials were prevented from participating for reasons related to strict secrecy, given the sensitivity of the discussions that focused on the Iranian file.
Hegseth arrived in Israel yesterday, Monday, secretly on a Globemaster military transport plane instead of an American government plane to avoid raising suspicions, heading to the Uvda base, where he inspected American forces. Netanyahu departed from Ben Gurion Airport to the base, while Katz arrived by military helicopter from the Tel Nof base. The meeting extended until approximately nine o’clock in the evening, with attendance limited to the Israeli and American sides only.
In a related context, Kan quoted a senior Israeli security official as estimating that the resumption of the confrontation with Tehran has become a matter of time, likely not to happen before the Israeli elections and the midterm elections for the US Congress scheduled for November 3, amid Israeli preparations for all scenarios, including the possibility of the Iranian regime launching an attack as a result of mounting pressure on it.
The report indicated that Israel has raised its military alert level to its highest levels, and in recent days its warplanes have carried out training exercises in Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border, in a move aimed at sending a clear message of deterrence to Tehran.
On the diplomatic level, the report pointed to progress in efforts to reach understandings between Washington and Tehran, coinciding with reports on Fox News stating that the US Central Command intends to strengthen its forces in the region by the end of November, following a visit by Hegseth to the command headquarters before his arrival in Israel.
