U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a report said.
Hegseth, who is attending the NATO summit in Türkiye along with U.S. President Donald Trump, had also been scheduled to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on a trip that was also expected to focus on Iran, Reuters said, citing a source.
The visit would have come a day after Trump announced he would lift U.S. sanctions imposed on Ankara over its 2019 purchase of Russian air defense missiles, and he signaled a willingness to sell the NATO ally F-35 fighter jets.
Türkiye has long criticized Israeli genocidal operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and it has repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the U.S.-Iran cease-fire deal mediated by Pakistan.
Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed to end the conflict that the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran was "over" and that he didn't want to engage with Tehran.
Netanyahu had on Monday urged the U.S. not to sell the jets to Türkiye, claiming it would "upset the power balance" in the region.
Türkiye dismissed his remarks, saying "Netanyahu and his partners in crime deliberately distort any criticism directed at them and seek to divert attention through a systematic propaganda effort."
In 2019, the U.S. removed Türkiye from the F-35 program, where Ankara was also a production partner, following its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Washington claimed the system would endanger the jets and is incompatible with NATO systems, while Ankara repeatedly said there is no conflict between the two and proposed a commission to study the issue.
Türkiye also said it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension broke the rules. Ankara maintains that the jets could strengthen not only Türkiye but also NATO.
