Israel is the only country in the region that currently operates F-35 fighters, which may change if Trump goes ahead with the sale to Turkey. [Getty]
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to make his first visit to Israel on Wednesday, amid regional tensions and Israeli fears over the possibility of Washington agreeing to sell F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey.
It was not immediately clear whether the US strikes on Iran overnight would affect the visit’s schedule or lead to its modification.
According to one source who spoke to CNN, Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz.
The source added that one of the main goals of the visit is to “reassure” Israeli officials about the possibility of the United States selling advanced F-35 fighters to Turkey, a step that US President Donald Trump had indicated the possibility of proceeding with during the NATO summit hosted by Ankara.
In an interview with CNN earlier this week, Netanyahu expressed his opposition to this step, describing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “not an ideal ally of the United States” and claiming that he “threatens to destroy the only Jewish state.”
Israel is the only country in the region that currently operates F-35 fighters, which are the newest combat aircraft in the American arsenal.
A US official familiar with the arrangements said that Hegseth, who accompanied Trump to the NATO summit in Turkey, would depart the US presidential delegation on Wednesday to visit Israel.
There was no immediate comment from the White House regarding the visit, while the US Department of Defence refused to comment.
US President Donald Trump said he would lift sanctions on Turkey and make a decision on a potential sale of F-35s to Ankara as he began a meeting on Tuesday with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at a NATO summit.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump told reporters when asked about the measures imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
In 2020, Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems. It also removed Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program, a move Turkey called unjust and illegal.
Trump was expected to throw his support behind the potential sale of F-35s during the visit to Ankara, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, even as legal and congressional hurdles have yet to be fully resolved.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said. He said he and Erdogan would also discuss trade.
