Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Wednesday and said that it was “an honor” to be a part of the war against Iran with Israel.
Before holding a private meeting, Hegseth and Netanyahu spoke to each other in front of reporters for a few minutes and praised US and Israeli forces for conducting the 12-Day War. The US supported Israel’s initial attacks by refueling Israeli warplanes and intercepting Iranian missiles fired at Israel in counterattacks, and then carried out its own airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The skill, and the bravery, and the courage of US forces involved in that operation, including in the defense of Israel, whether it was in the Mediterranean, or with THAAD batteries or others, was incredible,” Hegseth said. “It was an honor to be a part of it.”
Hegseth referenced President Trump’s threats to bomb Iran throughout his negotiations with the country and the 60-day deadline that he set for a deal. “After 60 days of negotiation, President Trump was very clear, after 60 days he gave them every opportunity, and then Operation Rising Lion took place,” he said.
Israel attacked Iran on June 13, two days before the US and Iran were scheduled to hold another round of talks. The US and Israel used the cover of negotiations to keep Tehran off guard before the initial Israeli airstrikes.
Netanyahu told Hegseth that Israel was grateful for the support and that the war was like “the roar of two lions,” referring to the US and Israel. Hegseth praised the “capabilities” of the Israeli military and said what Israeli forces accomplished was “absolutely incredible.”
While Israel was able to take out senior Iranian military leaders and launched heavy airstrikes on the country, which killed over 1,000 people, Iranian missiles also did significant damage in Israel, the extent of which is unclear since Israel’s military is attempting to censor what exactly was hit. Iran was also able to hit Israel until the last moments of the war.
“Israel got hit really hard. Those ballistic missiles, boy, they took out a lot of buildings,” President Trump said at the NATO summit last month.
Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in war crimes in Gaza, has received a warm welcome in Washington. Wednesday marked his third day of meetings with US officials, which included two meetings at the White House with President Trump.
