Live Update arrow right icon From the Liveblog of Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Hegseth planning to visit Israel on Wednesday amid concerns over potential F-35 sale to Turkey

By Agencies and ToI Staff 8 July 2026, 2:34 am
2 Edit
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to visit Israel on Wednesday, CNN report and Axios report.

The reports say the trip is meant in part to ease Israeli concerns about the possible sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey, which Jerusalem has spoken out against. Iran is also expected to be a topic of conversation.

Hegseth, who will be visiting Israel for the first time as Pentagon chief, is likely to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

More from today’s Liveblog:

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.