Hegseth calls off meeting with Netanyahu amid talk of F-35 sale to Turkey

In an interview Tuesday, Netanyahu said he firmly opposes selling F-35 jets to Turkey and had communicated that opposition directly to Trump.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth canceled a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was set to address the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter.

Any such sale would likely provoke anger among Israeli officials. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue, said Hegseth had also planned to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz during his trip to Israel, with Iran expected to feature prominently in those discussions as well.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed to end the conflict the United States and Israel launched against Iran was now over, adding that he no longer wishes to engage with Tehran.

The US embassy in Israel did not immediately comment on Hegseth’s planned meetings or their cancellation.

Turkey, a longstanding NATO member, has repeatedly criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and it has accused Israel on multiple occasions of attempting to undermine the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, which Pakistan helped mediate.

In an interview Tuesday, Netanyahu said he firmly opposes selling F-35 jets to Turkey and had communicated that opposition directly to Trump. He argued that such a sale would upend the balance of power across the Middle East, citing what he described as Turkey’s aggressive regional ambitions.

Trump, who is attending a NATO summit in Turkey alongside Hegseth, announced Tuesday that he would lift sanctions the United States imposed on Ankara following Turkey’s 2019 purchase of Russian air defense missiles. He also signaled openness to selling F-35 jets to the NATO ally, a move expected to face significant pushback both in Congress and from Israeli officials.

Relations between Washington and Ankara deteriorated sharply after Turkey acquired the Russian S-400 missile defense system, prompting the United States to sanction a major Turkish defense company and remove Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter program entirely. Ties between the two countries have improved considerably since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, though the jet sales remain blocked under existing US law.

The cancellation of Hegseth’s meeting with Netanyahu highlights growing friction between Washington and Israel over how to handle Turkey’s defense relationship with the United States, particularly as Trump signals a more accommodating approach toward Ankara following years of strained ties. Israeli officials have long viewed Turkey’s regional ambitions with suspicion, and Netanyahu’s public opposition to the F-35 sale suggests Israel intends to lobby aggressively against any deal moving forward.

The broader tensions surrounding the F-35 sale come at a delicate moment for US policy in the Middle East, with the collapse of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran raising fresh questions about the stability of the region following the recent war. Trump’s declaration that the agreement is over adds further uncertainty to an already volatile situation, particularly given Iran’s recent attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing disputes over enforcement of the ceasefire.

Turkey’s push to rejoin the F-35 program has remained a persistent point of contention in its relationship with the United States for years, and Erdogan has expressed hope that his meeting with Trump during the NATO summit could yield a positive outcome on the matter. Any final decision to resume F-35 sales to Turkey would likely require congressional approval, given the sanctions currently in place under US law tied to Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 system.

Israeli officials are expected to continue pressing Washington to reconsider any potential sale, arguing that strengthening Turkey’s military capabilities could shift the regional balance of power in ways that directly threaten Israeli security interests. Whether Hegseth’s canceled meeting with Netanyahu signals a broader rift between the two allies over Turkey policy, or simply a scheduling adjustment tied to the shifting priorities following Trump’s announcement, remains unclear as officials on both sides continue to navigate the rapidly evolving situation.