US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in the Pentagon chief's first call with a foreign official since being sworn in.

Washington "is fully committed" to the Jewish state having "the capabilities it needs to defend itself," the U.S. defense secretary said.

President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is considering a visit to the war-torn Gaza Strip as part of his efforts to keep a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas ...