U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has canceled a planned visit to Israel, Israeli television Channel 12 reported, according to RKS News.
Earlier, Israeli media reported that Hegseth’s visit on Wednesday, his first to Israel since taking office, was intended to ease Israeli concerns over the possibility of the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
At the beginning of this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that supplying Ankara with the advanced fighter aircraft would “destroy the balance of power in the Middle East,” weakening Israel’s military superiority.
Netanyahu also emphasized that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly threatened Israel, describing Turkey as “not a friendly state.”
In response, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Netanyahu’s remarks as a “disinformation campaign” aimed at obstructing Turkey’s defense requests and diverting attention from the conflicts unfolding in the region.
