Report: Hegseth secretly visits Israel, meets Netanyahu amid talk of renewed strikes on Iran

Report: Hegseth secretly visits Israel, meets Netanyahu amid talk of renewed strikes on Iran

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported Monday night, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The visit comes just eight days before Israel's Knesset elections, against the backdrop of discussions between the United States and Israel over the possibility of resuming large-scale military operations against Iran.

The unusually lengthy meeting took place at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, with Netanyahu making the unusual decision to travel there by private plane rather than helicopter. The prime minister's motorcade first traveled to Ben Gurion Airport, where he boarded a flight to the base. The meeting also explains why Netanyahu did not attend the soccer match between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv, as originally planned.

American refueling aircraft and fighter jets are stationed at Ovda Air Base, where Hegseth also met with U.S. troops. According to the report, the Pentagon and the Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the visit, while the Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond. No details of the meeting between Hegseth and Netanyahu have been released, and it remains unclear whether the possibility of another strike on Iran was discussed.

Hegseth later referred to his visit to the Middle East in a post on X, saying he had met with American troops in the area of responsibility of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which covers the Middle East, northeastern Africa and parts of Asia. However, he did not publicly confirm that he had visited Israel or met Netanyahu.

The visit comes amid reports in recent days that the United States and Israel are preparing for the possibility of renewed military operations against the Islamic Republic. Last week, Axios reported that Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump had spoken several times about the possibility of launching another joint military operation against Iran, even before Israel's October 27 elections and the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for a week later.

According to that report, Netanyahu expressed concern to Trump over Israeli intelligence indicating that Iran was taking steps to rebuild its nuclear program. The two discussed a possible joint operation targeting nuclear facilities and military sites in Iran, but Trump has yet to commit to authorizing such an operation. A U.S. official said the president encouraged Netanyahu to prepare but stressed that this did not constitute a commitment to carry out an attack.

The report also said Hegseth and senior officials at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) were among the strongest supporters of renewed strikes on Iran. Most of Trump's advisers, however, currently favor continuing economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran rather than launching another round of large-scale attacks.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Pentagon reportedly ordered CENTCOM to complete preparations for the possible resumption of large-scale military operations against Iran. The directive did not specify a date for an attack, and administration officials stressed that the president had not made a final decision.

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Iran issues chilling threat to cut 'all the world's internet'

Iran issues chilling threat to cut 'all the world's internet'

Catherine Mackinlay

Iran has issued a chilling warning to the world over crucial internet cables running under the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with the US skyrocket once again. A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said: "Seven major cables have passed under the Strait of Hormuz, all of which the world's internet and commercial data depend on; we are reminding them of this so that the enemy knows." The spokesperson, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebi, also issued a separate warning on social media, posting what appeared to be an AI-generated image of a missile alongside the message: "The world will see what will happen."

Mohebi was appointed as the IRGC's spokesperson earlier this year, replacing Ali-Mohammad Naeini. The warning comes amid mounting threats from Tehran against vital digital infrastructure across the Middle East, with underwater fibre-optic cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities all identified as potential targets.

Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a former commander of the IRGC, warned earlier this month that the infrastructure could come within Iran's range if conflict erupts again.

He said: "If war breaks out again, the many undersea cables, data centers, and AI facilities in the region worth $2trillion will come within our range."

Rezaee also warned that Iran was prepared to demonstrate "new strike capabilities", before writing on X the following day: "If the enemy makes its next mistake against Iran, it will bring a new front and a bigger surprise."

Iran's threats against digital infrastructure have been building for months. In March, the IRGC reportedly identified cloud infrastructure belonging to Google, Microsoft and Oracle as potential targets, before later naming 17 US firms including Google, Meta and Apple.

The comments were also backed by Iranian hardliners, with Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the conservative Kayhan newspaper and a representative of the country's supreme leader, arguing that seven major international undersea cables running through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz should be used as a "pressure tool".

Undersea fibre-optic cables carry the vast majority of data travelling between continents, with crucial routes concentrated around a number of maritime chokepoints.

Security expert Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King's College London, has warned that the cables are "difficult to protect continuously" and disruption can affect several countries simultaneously.

Three cables were damaged in the Red Sea in February 2024, most likely by the anchor of a stricken cargo ship, with repairs taking months. Two more were cut near Jeddah in September 2025, slowing internet access across parts of the Middle East and South Asia.

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Russia-Iran: Lavrov Meets With Iranian Security Council Chief – Russian Foreign Ministry

Lavrov Meets With Iranian Security Council Chief – Russian Foreign Ministry

Sputnik

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei," the ministry said on Telegram.

During the talks, Rezaei welcomed Moscow’s initiatives to expand multilateral cooperation, stressing that closer ties between Russia and Iran would help strengthen regional stability and support economic development. 

He pointed to joint infrastructure projects, particularly the completion of strategic transport corridors, as a practical way to achieve these goals. 

Rezaei also emphasized that lasting peace and stability in the region depend on sustained cooperation among regional countries.

U.S. issues rare security warning for Americans in these 12 Mideast countries

U.S. issues rare security warning for Americans in these 12 Mideast countries

Jillian Butler, Daily Caller News Foundation

U.S. embassies across the Middle East issued identical red alert security warnings on Monday, advising American citizens to exercise extreme vigilance.

American citizens in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen and Iran received these warnings, Euronews reported. The security alerts stemmed from risks pertaining to the Iran war and the escalating Houthi situation

"Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the U.S and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions," the alert warned.

The alert also warned U.S. citizens of travel disruptions including flight cancellation and airspace closures due to a risk of military escalation associated with the Yemeni Houthis and the Iran War, according to Euronews.

Qatar Airways announced Monday that it will suspend its Saudi Arabia-bound flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam until Oct. 24  and reduced their flights to Jeddah from seven to four flights per day, the outlet reported.

"Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions," the U.S Embassy in Saudi Arabia cautioned in a Monday X post.

"The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area," the alert warned, before urging citizens to, "develop contingency plans in advance."

Typically, the State Department issues local and country specific warnings. A wide coordinated warning like this is unusual and indicative of potentially severe escalations in instability. Additionally, countries such as Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are typically considered stable regions.

Italy to dispatch 500 troops to 'defend Milan' after protests and looting

Italy to dispatch 500 troops to 'defend Milan' after protests and looting

Elisa Anzolin

Italy's government will dispatch 500 army troops to "defend Milan" after two days of unrest that saw demonstrators clash with police, loot shops and vandalise property.

The troop deployment, announced Monday by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is expected to form part of a package of security measures to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Luxury stores on Milan's Via Montenapoleone cleared their windows Monday and shut early, bracing for a return of the violence that hit the city over the weekend.

Brands including Chanel, Tiffany and Dior took merchandise out of their displays as a precaution while police patrolled the street, where a handful of tourists looked on.

"From words to action: 500 more troops to defend Milan," Salvini, head of the co-ruling right-wing League party, wrote on social media.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who faces a national election next year, condemned the violence. She chaired a meeting with ministers and security chiefs on Monday to discuss the situation.

"The government will respond firmly to these attacks on the state, including through measures aimed at curbing violence by minors," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also serves as deputy prime minister like Salvini, wrote on X.

Corriere della Sera newspaper said Meloni was considering extending preventive detention for minors and cracking down on youth gangs as part of the planned crackdown. The measures would bring forward some provisions contained in an existing security bill currently being examined by parliament.

The weekend trouble began as an initially peaceful demonstration on Saturday over poor public services and rising costs. However, several hundred hooded protesters, many believed to be minors, then set bins ablaze and looted shops in the city centre.

Ransacked stores included sports retailers Decathlon and Arc'teryx and mobile phone operator Vodafone. Clothing brands Levi's and Under Armour, as well as Decathlon, covered their shop windows with cardboard and wooden panels in fear of more violence.

The unrest followed clashes on Saturday in Milan and other northern cities including Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, where 28 protesters were arrested, according to a police report released on Sunday.

The disturbances echoed unrest in neighbouring France, where hundreds of thousands of people angered by rising living costs and declining public services took to the streets on Saturday in some of the country's most violent protests in years.