Hegseth cancels Israel trip as US resumes bombing Iran

Jul 08, 2026

The US is back to heavy bombing of Iran, and Trump is moving to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey — a shift that angers Israel and shows a widening US-Israel rift.

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth scrapped a planned meeting with Netanyahu, likely because the US restarted intense strikes on Iran overnight.
  • Trump wants to lift 2019 sanctions on Turkey and let it buy F-35 jets, reversing his own earlier ban that punished Turkey for buying Russian air defenses.
  • Netanyahu is furious, saying arming Turkey would upset the Middle East balance and warning of Turkish ambitions to revive Ottoman-era influence.
  • Trump also praised China for tapping its own oil reserves instead of buying on the open market, which kept oil prices from spiking during the Iran fighting.

Outlook: The fight now moves to Congress, which could block the Turkey jet sale — a test of whether pro-Israel lawmakers push back on Trump.

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