Hegseth cancels Netanyahu meeting over Turkey F-35 sale

JERUSALEM: US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has cancelled a scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Washington’s potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, an Israeli source told Reuters on Wednesday.

The high-stakes meeting, which was set to take place amid a NATO summit in Turkey, was scrapped over fears of rising diplomatic friction.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that Hegseth had also been scheduled to hold talks with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, with the conflict involving Iran heavily topping their agenda.

The US embassy in Israel has so far declined to offer an immediate comment on the cancellation of Hegseth’s planned meetings.

Shift in regional dynamics

The developments come as US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that a memorandum of understanding signed to end the conflict launched by the US and Israel against Iran was “over”, adding that Washington no longer desired to engage with Tehran.

Turkey, a NATO member, has long been a vocal critic of Israeli military operations across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Ankara has repeatedly accused Israel of actively trying to undermine the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, which had been mediated by Pakistan.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu firmly voiced his opposition to any potential deal involving the advanced stealth aircraft, stating that he had already conveyed his concerns directly to President Trump.

“It would destroy the power balance in the Middle East because Turkey has aggressive aspirations,” Netanyahu told the network, underscoring the deep anxiety within the Israeli security establishment over the move.

The F-35 deadlock

President Trump, who is currently attending the NATO summit alongside Hegseth, announced on Tuesday his intention to lift US sanctions imposed on Ankara following its 2019 purchase of Russian air-defence missiles. He further signalled a willingness to reintegrate the NATO ally into the F-35 fighter jet programme—a decision that is already poised to face steep resistance in both the US Congress and Israel.

Bilateral ties between Washington and Ankara had deteriorated sharply after Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 system. The controversial purchase prompted the US to impose sweeping sanctions on a major Turkish defence company and subsequently remove Ankara from the joint strike fighter programme.

While bilateral relations have improved markedly since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, the fighter jet sales remain legally blocked under US law, leaving the future of the strategic deal highly uncertain.