Netanyahu: Hegseth’s canceled visit ‘could mean something’ good for Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled a planned visit to Israel today after being “called back” to Washington, suggesting that the cancellation could be a positive development for Israel amid escalating US-Iran tensions.

Asked about the visit earlier today during a lengthy Hebrew-language podcast interview with Israeli journalist and former right-wing Knesset member Sharon Gal, Netanyahu says Hegseth “was called back” to the White House from the NATO summit in Turkey before he could make the trip to meet with the premier in Israel.

However, Hegseth was still with Trump in Turkey on Wednesday evening in Turkey, and had not in fact left early to return to Washington as Netanyahu had suggested.

The trip’s cancellation came amid renewed hostilities between Washington and Tehran and Israeli concerns over the possible sale of American F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey.

Netanyahu does not specify the purpose of the planned visit or the reason for its cancellation, but tells the interviewer he did not take it as a bad sign.

“Why do you think it disappoints me? Maybe it means something else?” he says when Gal asks if he was disappointed by the cancellation.

“I can’t tell you,” he adds when pressed on what he means, saying only that “there are a few possibilities here.”

The escalation with Iran is likely a welcome development in Israel, which has been wary of the US-Iran talks and seeks to further weaken Tehran’s military and regime.