US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth cancelled a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, an Israeli source told Reuters. The cancellation underscores growing tensions over the proposed sale, which Israel vehemently opposes.
Meeting Cancellation and Israeli Concerns
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Hegseth had also planned to meet Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz during his trip to Israel, with Iran expected to feature in their discussions. Any sale of F-35s to Turkey would likely anger Israeli officials, who view the advanced aircraft as a threat to regional stability.
US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding ending the US-Israel conflict with Iran was "over" and expressed reluctance to engage with Tehran. The US embassy in Israel had no immediate comment on Hegseth's planned meetings.
Turkey's NATO Role and Opposition from Israel
Turkey, a NATO member, has long criticised Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, and repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the US-Iran ceasefire deal mediated by Pakistan. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he opposed the sale of F-35s to Turkey and had made his opposition clear to Trump. "It would destroy the power balance in the Middle East because Turkey has aggressive aspirations," Netanyahu told CNN.
Trump's Shift on Sanctions and F-35 Program
Trump, attending a NATO summit in Turkey alongside Hegseth, announced on Tuesday he would lift US sanctions imposed on Ankara over its 2019 purchase of Russian S-400 air defence missiles. He signalled a willingness to sell the NATO ally F-35 fighter jets, a move likely to face strong resistance in Congress as well as in Israel. Bilateral relations had deteriorated sharply over Turkey's acquisition of the S-400 system, prompting the US to impose sanctions on a major Turkish defence company and remove Ankara from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program. Ties have improved markedly since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, but the jet sales remain blocked under US law.
