U.S. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth canceled his planned visit to Israel on Wednesday, July 8, during which he was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. This was reported by UNN citing The Jerusalem Post.
Details
Hegseth, who is in Ankara with U.S. President Donald Trump for the NATO summit, was to make a brief visit amid U.S. strikes on Iran.
These strikes were carried out overnight in response to a series of attacks by Tehran against three commercial tankers in Omani waters, near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported several wounded.
Later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that strikes were carried out on 85 U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait "in response to the U.S. violation of the ceasefire."
Recall
Hegseth's visit to Israel was intended to allay Israeli concerns about a possible sale of advanced F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he opposes the possible sale of F-35 aircraft to Turkey.