Hegseth’s visit to Israel canceled amid rising tensions between US, Iran

US defense minister’s trip would have been his first since he became Pentagon chief; Hegseth had been expected to meet Netanyahu, Katz amid concerns over potential F-35 sale to Turkey

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has cancelled a planned visit to Israel on Wednesday, amid renewed hostilities between Washington and Tehran and Israeli concerns over the possible sale of American F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey.

An Israeli official confirmed the planned visit and its cancellation to The Times of Israel following reports on the matter.

Hegseth was expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the trip, the official confirmed, but did not specify what the meeting was set to focus on or provide a reason for the cancellation.

Axios and CNN reported Tuesday that Hegseth was likely to meet on Wednesday with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, partly to ease Israeli concerns over the possible F-35 sale to Turkey. However, Hebrew-language media reports, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, said late Wednesday morning that the visit, which would have been Hegseth’s first as Pentagon chief, had been cancelled.

The Ynet news site said that Israel had been informed of the cancellation against the backdrop of rising tensions between the US and Iran.

The reports came soon after US President Donald Trump said he thought the US-Iran memorandum of understanding “is over.”

The US military unleashed a new wave of strikes Tuesday against the Iranian regime after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, putting further pressure on the already fragile ceasefire.

Iran’s top joint military command said Iranian armed forces would deliver a “crushing response” to the strikes, and carried out attacks on US allies Bahrain and Kuwait.

Hegseth had been set to arrive in Israel from Turkey, where Trump said Tuesday that he would “certainly consider” selling F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, as he sat alongside Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a NATO summit.

“It’s a decision we’re going to make… It’s certainly something we would consider,” Trump said, noting that “we have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries.”

While Trump’s remarks suggested that he was still deliberating the move, Reuters — citing two sources familiar with the matter — reported earlier Tuesday that Trump is expected to throw his support behind the sale.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview on Monday that Israel is opposed to the sale, and on Tuesday confirmed that he urged Trump against the move.

Turkey’s leaders have likened Israel’s conduct in Gaza to that of the Nazis during the Holocaust. Jerusalem has also warned that selling the stealth jets to Ankara would undermine Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region, which US law commits to maintaining.

Greece is also said to be against the sale.

The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.

Israel has operated the aircraft for over a decade, building multiple squadrons, and has previously worked to prevent the sale of the F-35 to other nearby countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey joined a multinational program to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States, but was removed from it in 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems.

Legal hurdles remain before Turkey could be fully admitted back to the US F-35 program, but the removal of sanctions issued under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act would help ease that process. Trump said Tuesday that Hegseth was among the officials working on the issue.

Jacob Magid contributed to this report.