LIVE 📰 3 sources 6 articles · 20 Oct 2026, 17:34 → 49 minutes ago

Netanyahu declares toppling the Iranian regime a goal, reveals call with Trump and secret meeting with Hegseth

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he discussed with US President Donald Trump the "necessity of eliminating the Iranian regime," stressing his commitment to completing it. His spokesman and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority disclosed an unannounced visit by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Israel and a meeting with Netanyahu, before Netanyahu, in a speech near the Lebanese border, linked toppling the Iranian regime to the fall of Hezbollah and peace with Lebanon.

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Updates automatically · Reports: 6

📍 Netanyahu continues to publicly escalate toward Iran, describing the toppling of its regime as a goal he is committed to, with no Iranian response reported in the coverage.

📍 Where things stand: Netanyahu continues to publicly escalate toward Iran, describing the toppling of its regime as a goal he is committed to, with no Iranian response reported in the coverage.

⏱️ Timeline

20 Oct 2026, 17:34 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he spoke with US President Donald Trump yesterday, saying the conversation addressed the importance of eliminating the Iranian regime.
20 Oct 2026, 18:32 Netanyahu said he discussed with Trump the "necessity of eliminating the Iranian regime," stressing his commitment to completing it. His spokesman Doron Spielman said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel in a previously unannounced visit and met Netanyahu at Ovda Airbase in the Negev, where they discussed regional threats and the US-Israeli partnership in confronting them.
20 Oct 2026, 18:59 A report indicated that the Iran file was central in the Netanyahu-Trump call, noting that the aim of the call goes beyond the Iranian nuclear file.
20 Oct 2026, 19:09 Netanyahu said that Israel, together with US President Donald Trump, will complete the mission and eliminate the Iranian threat permanently, without further details.
20 Oct 2026, 19:18 The Israeli Broadcasting Authority revealed that Netanyahu met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a secret meeting on Monday from which Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir was excluded.
20 Oct 2026, 20:49 In a speech at the opening of the academic year at the new Tel Hai University near the Lebanese border, Netanyahu declared that Israel is "committed" to toppling the Iranian regime, arguing this would lead to the fall of Hezbollah and open the door to peace with Lebanon. He said the Israeli army had made great progress against Hezbollah but that "the mission is not yet complete," and disclosed that he had discussed the goal of toppling the Iranian regime with the US president.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

How the sources covered it

One source focused on Hegseth's unannounced visit and its logistical details, another on the escalatory wording of Netanyahu's statements about "eliminating the Iranian threat permanently," and a third on the regional dimension in Netanyahu's speech near the Lebanese border linking Iran to Hezbollah and Lebanon.

سكاي نيوز عربية It led with Netanyahu's statement on the "necessity of eliminating the Iranian regime" and his commitment to completing it, and quoted spokesman Doron Spielman on the details of Hegseth's unannounced visit and his meeting with Netanyahu at Ovda Airbase in the Negev.
التلفزيون العربي It headlined the story as "Netanyahu escalates against Iran," focusing on both tracks: the Trump call and the secret meeting with Hegseth, and citing the Israeli Broadcasting Authority that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir was excluded from the meeting.
lebanon debate Its coverage focused on the substance of the Trump call and on Netanyahu's escalatory wording, including his statement that Israel and Trump "will eliminate the Iranian threat permanently," and that the goal goes beyond the nuclear file.
Lebanon Debate It highlighted Netanyahu's speech at Tel Hai University near the Lebanese border and his linking of toppling the Iranian regime to the fall of Hezbollah and peace with Lebanon, along with his remark that "the mission is not yet complete" against Hezbollah.