U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has canceled Wednesday’s planned visit to Israel, according to Israeli journalist Amit Segal.
The Pentagon chief was expected to arrive in the Jewish state for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, CNN reported earlier, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Hegseth is in Ankara with President Donald Trump for the NATO summit.
The visit would have come amid U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and Israeli concerns over the potential U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
The trip was planned before the strikes were ordered, and it was unclear whether recent developments would affect the visit. It would have been Hegseth’s first trip to Israel since he took office in January 2025.
The U.S. strikes followed overnight Iranian attacks on three commercial tankers in Omani waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Hours earlier, Washington announced it was canceling sanctions relief on Iranian oil sales, saying the move was intended to punish Tehran and restore economic pressure.
