Fox leaders visit Israel

Details: The trip kicked off with previously-reported diplomatic meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.

• Murdoch and Netanyahu met in 2016 to reportedly gauge Murdoch's interest in building a Fox-like TV channel in Israel.
• During the trip, executives met with journalists in its Jerusalem bureau, including foreign correspondent Trey Yingst and senior producer Yonat Frilling, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
• Executives also met with a crew of producers, editors and cameramen.

Zoom in: The group visited several key war locations including the Erez Border Crossing located at the southern border of Israel that borders the northern tip of the Gaza Strip.

• Another was Kfar Aza, a Kibbutz close to Gaza where dozens of people were killed and taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th.
• The tour was conducted by the Head of the IDF's public diplomacy office, Major Liad Diamond. While there, executives were also briefed by members of the Israel Defense Forces.

What they're saying: "I appreciated the opportunity to visit our FOX Jerusalem Bureau to see firsthand the amazing job they are doing covering the war from the front lines," Murdoch said in a statement to Axios.

• "It was also incredibly moving to tour some of the areas that suffered such devastation from the October 7th attacks."

The big picture: Murdoch assumed the role of executive chairman of Fox Corp. last November, replacing his father, who became chair emeritus.

• Earlier that month, he and Fox News journalists visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Go deeper: Trey Yingst on reporting from Southern Israel: "You smell like death"