US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's planned visit to Israel was canceled Wednesday, with no official explanation provided, according to reports. The cancellation comes amid heightened security tensions with Iran. Hegseth had been scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's planned visit to Israel was canceled Wednesday, with no official explanation provided, according to the latest reports. The cancellation was first reported at 12:24 Jerusalem, attributed to escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf. A subsequent report at 12:31 Jerusalem noted that no official reason has been given. The reports remain unconfirmed by official US or Israeli channels.
The development follows a day of shifting reports. The desk first reported at 06:19 Jerusalem, citing Channel 14's Noam Amir, that Hegseth was en route to Israel for his first official visit. Earlier thread versions (02:20 Jerusalem) had shown the visit's schedule changing: first reported by CNN for Wednesday, then corrected to Thursday by a senior US official, then moved back to Wednesday. The visit's agenda was also reported variously: first as security coordination, then as addressing Israeli concerns over potential US arms sales to Turkey. By 12:24 Jerusalem, the cancellation was attributed to Gulf tensions, but the latest report at 12:31 adds that no official explanation has been provided.
The cancellation comes amid heightened US-Iran security tensions, as The Zioneer reported on June 10 when Hegseth warned Iran against challenging the US. On June 15, the desk reported that Defense Minister Katz spoke with Hegseth, underscoring ongoing high-level coordination. The visit was seen as part of that coordination, but its abrupt cancellation without explanation leaves the status of defense ties in the current crisis unclear.
No official confirmation has been issued by the Pentagon, the Israeli Defense Ministry, or the Prime Minister's Office. The reason for the cancellation remains unverified, and it is not known whether the visit may be rescheduled.
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