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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was expected to discuss the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Hegseth was also scheduled to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, with Iran expected to feature in the discussions.
The possible sale is likely to anger Israeli officials, as Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that he opposes selling F-35s to Türkiye and had made his position clear to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hegseth later canceled the planned visit to Israel, a source reportedly told The Jerusalem Post.
Hegseth, who is in Ankara alongside Trump for the NATO summit, had been expected to make a brief visit to Israel against the backdrop of U.S. strikes on Iran.
He was expected to meet Netanyahu and Katz during the visit.
Netanyahu said the possible sale would affect the balance of power in the region.
"It would destroy the power balance in the Middle East because Türkiye has aggressive aspirations," Netanyahu told CNN.
Türkiye, a NATO member, has long criticized Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Ankara has also repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal mediated by Pakistan.
Trump, who is attending the NATO summit in Türkiye, announced Tuesday that he would lift U.S. sanctions imposed on Ankara over its 2019 purchase of Russian air defense missiles.
He also signaled a willingness to sell F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, a move likely to face strong resistance in Congress as well as in Israel.
Trump praised President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during remarks at the summit, calling him "terrific" and describing Türkiye as a strong military power.
"I like Erdogan," Trump said. "You rolled out the red carpet, he's terrific."
Trump said Erdogan could have entered the war but did not because of him.
"He could have gone into the war because he doesn't like Israel much, and he doesn't like Bibi much, and he didn't go because of me," Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.
Trump said Türkiye is a major military power with U.S. equipment and is seeking F-35 fighter jets.
"This is a military power, millions of soldiers. Türkiye is very strong," Trump said. "They have a lot of our best equipment. They're trying to get the F-35, but he didn't go in."
Trump also said Erdogan would have entered the war if not for him and would have been on the other side.
"He would go in if it weren't for me. He would have gone in, and he would have been on the other side," Trump said.
Trump added that he did not think Erdogan liked the other side either, and said Türkiye had treated the U.S. right.
Relations between Ankara and Washington deteriorated sharply after Türkiye acquired the Russian S-400 air defense system.
The purchase prompted the U.S. to impose sanctions on a major Turkish defense company and remove Ankara from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program.
Ties have improved markedly since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, but jet sales remain blocked under U.S. law.
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