Top US defense official cancels his visit to Israel scheduled for Wednesday — newspaper

TEL AVIV, July 8. /TASS/. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has canceled his first visit to Israel, which was scheduled for Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing a source.

According to the newspaper, Hegseth was expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz during the brief trip.

Hegseth is currently with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara. The brief visit to Israel was planned in the context of renewed US strikes against Iran. The Jerusalem Post did not report the reason for the cancellation.

CNN had previously reported on Hegseth’s plans to visit Israel. According to the TV channel, the top US defense official intended to address Israeli concerns about the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.