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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has cancelled a planned visit to Israel scheduled for July 8 following the latest exchange of strikes with Iran.
The Times of Israel reported the development, citing an unnamed Israeli official.
The official confirmed that Hegseth had been expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the visit, but did not elaborate on the reason for its cancellation.
The BBC also reported that the visit had been cancelled.
Hegseth is currently in Türkiye with U.S. President Donald Trump for the NATO summit taking place on July 7-8. Neither the United States nor Israel had officially confirmed the planned visit.
Israeli media had earlier reported that Hegseth’s visit was intended to ease Israeli concerns over the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously warned that supplying advanced aircraft to Ankara would “disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East” by weakening Israel’s military advantage.
In response, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry described Netanyahu’s remarks as a “disinformation campaign” aimed at undermining Türkiye’s defence requirements and diverting attention from regional conflicts.