An Israeli source told Reuters that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. Any such deal is likely to anger Israeli officials. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Hegseth was also scheduled to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz during his visit to Israel, and that the talks would also touch on the Iran war issue.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed to end the conflict initiated by the United States and Israel with attacks on Iran 'is over,' adding that he did not want to deal with Tehran. The US Embassy in Israel has not yet commented on the meetings Hegseth was scheduled to hold.

Turkey, a NATO member, has repeatedly criticized Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, and has repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran brokered by Pakistan.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he opposed the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey and that he had made his opposition clear to US President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu told CNN: 'That would upset the balance of power in the Middle East because Turkey has hostile ambitions.'

Trump, who is attending the NATO summit in Turkey, announced on Tuesday that he would lift US sanctions imposed on Ankara for purchasing Russian air defense missiles in 2019, and expressed willingness to sell F-35 fighters to Turkey, a move likely to face strong opposition in Congress as well as in Israel.

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Relations between Washington and Ankara had deteriorated sharply due to Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 system, prompting the United States to impose sanctions on a major Turkish defense company and exclude Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program.

Relations have improved markedly since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, but aircraft sales remain banned under US law.

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