U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made an unannounced visit to Israel, where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to reports citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The meeting took place on Monday. According to reports, it occurred at an air force base in Israel's southern desert.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment on the report.

Hegseth posted on social media that he had visited U.S. service members in the Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.

The visit comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu ahead of next week's parliamentary election — the first vote since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in 2023 and Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

Trump praised Netanyahu as an ally in the U.S. confrontation with Iran and said the prime minister had his "Complete and Total Endorsement."

"BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Opinion polls suggest Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, though the opposition may also struggle to form a government.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, however, declined to endorse Netanyahu in a separate interview on Monday, saying he was not getting involved in Israeli elections.

"I endorse American candidates, and that's where I'm focused on is the midterms," Vance said in an interview with digital media outlet 2WAY.

"I'm not anti-endorsing him, but I'm not pro-endorsing him; I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections," Vance added.