US War Secretary Pete Hegseth was expected to arrive in Israel today, in his first visit to the country since taking office, following a night of US strikes against Iran, as President Trump remains in Turkey for the NATO summit.
According to multiple US reports, Hegseth was expected to travel to Israel on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the Trump administration weighs plans to restore Turkey's access to the F-35 fighter jet program. He was also expected to meet with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Hegseth had traveled with the president to the NATO summit in Turkey and is expected to break off from Trump's delegation to make the trip to Jerusalem. The visit was hours after the United States launched a new wave of strikes on Iran overnight, with American officials describing the action as a "punishment" response, not a "proportional" one, to a series of attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The US also reimposed oil sanctions on Iran over what it called a violation of the ceasefire framework.
A central purpose of Hegseth's trip was to ease Israeli concerns over the possibility that Washington will sell advanced F-35 jets to Turkey, an idea President Trump signaled openness to during the NATO summit in Ankara, a move that has drawn concern from Israeli officials and some Republicans in Washington. Trump discussed the sale during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, praising Turkey's relationship with the United States and suggesting that sanctions imposed on Ankara over its purchase of the Russian S400 system could soon be lifted. Erdogan for his part claimed Trump had already promised Turkey five of the jets.
Netanyahu has made no secret of his opposition to the move. In an interview with CNN, the prime minister said Erdogan is "not exactly a model ally of the United States," adding that the Turkish president "threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state." Israel remains the only country in the Middle East that currently operates the F-35.
Israel's unease over Turkey extends beyond the jet sale itself, driven also by Ankara's growing footprint in Syria and its ties to the government of Ahmad al Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al Jolani. Hegseth's meeting with Netanyahu is also expected to touch on the Iranian front, with the visit coming just hours after the exchange of fire between the United States and Iran.
