JERUSALEM, Oct 20 (Reuters) - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel ‌on Monday, three Israeli officials said, as tensions flare between the US ‌and Iran.

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the prime minister, later confirmed to Reuters that Netanyahu had ​met with Hegseth at the Uvda air force base in Israel's southern Negev desert region.

Netanyahu and Hegseth discussed "the threats in the region" and the US-Israel partnership in dealing both offensively and defensively with those threats, he said in a brief phone call.

Hegseth ‌also thanked Israel for hosting ⁠US forces, which Spielman said numbered in the thousands, and discussed President Donald Trump's support for the prime minister.

"There's a deep ⁠personal relationship here that was at the core of this discussion," Sp...