Overview
- Media outlets report US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit Israel for the first time to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, though US officials have not formally confirmed the trip.
- Coverage says the visit will center on a reported $3 billion proposal for F-35 jets and efforts to reassure Israel about a White House-proposed option to sell F-35s to Turkey; those details remain unverified in official statements.
- The trip follows President Trump raising the possibility of F-35 sales to Turkey at the NATO summit in Ankara, a move that has stoked anxiety in Jerusalem because Israel is currently the only F-35 operator in the Middle East.
- Reporting notes the travel plans come as the US has conducted strikes inside Iran, creating uncertainty about scheduling and raising questions about regional escalation risks that market participants have factored into pricing.
- Neither the White House nor the Pentagon provided immediate comment to reporters, and current public accounts rely on CNN-cited sources and diplomatic scheduling notes rather than official releases.