Jerusalem, Oct 20 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel was "committed" to overthrowing Iran's government and that he had discussed the goal with US President Donald Trump on Sunday.
"We must complete the overthrow of the Iranian regime. That is the main thing. I have discussed this with President Trump more than once, including two days ago," Netanyahu said during public remarks at a university in northern Israel.
He said overthrowing the Iranian government would also lead to the "elimination of Hezbollah" and peace with Lebanon, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The remarks came after Trump endorsed Netanyahu for re-election on Sunday, ahead of Israel's national elections next week. Netanyahu has made his close ties with Trump a central campaign argument, portraying their partnership as essential to confronting Iran.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and met with Netanyahu, Israel's Channel 12 News reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The meeting took place at a military base in southern Israel, according to the Israeli Army Radio.
Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on the report.
The Pentagon did not announce the visit, and Hegseth's office initially declined to comment.
Following the reports, Hegseth posted on X that he had visited US troops under the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), sharing photographs from the visit. "As always, it was an honour to visit our warfighters in CENTCOM today. The best of our country, on a historic mission. Godspeed," he wrote.
Last week, Netanyahu said he did not favour a preemptive strike on Iran before the Israeli legislative election on Oct. 27, rejecting accusations by political rivals that he was seeking a military confrontation for electoral gain.
Netanyahu has repeatedly called for the overthrow of Iran's government, telling Iranians during the 12-day war in 2025 that their "hour of freedom is near" and renewing that call when Israel and the United States launched another offensive in February.
--IANS
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