WASHINGTON  US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that he visited the Middle East on Saturday as joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran continue. “Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit our troops fighting in Operation Epic Fury. We were on the ground in CENTCOM on Saturday for about half the day," Hegseth told a news conference alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth did not specify which facilities were visited so they are "not targeted,"