In statements to RTP in Lisbon following the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Portugal and Ireland, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa recalled being in Estonia when what he described as an “apparent clash of versions” emerged.
“My position is very simple: either they were already Israeli planes, requiring specific authorization to pass, or they were American, which implies tacit approval,” he stated.
The Portuguese head of state believes there could be a discussion on how the American administration presented the issue but argues that “it is not worth turning it into a diplomatic issue.”
The matter concerns a stopover at Lajes Base in the Azores by three F-35 aircraft sold by the United States to Israel without prior knowledge of Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.
Lajes Air Base, located in the Azores archipelago, is used militarily by the United States under a bilateral cooperation agreement.
Asked if he would seek explanations from the government led by Luís Montenegro on the matter, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied no.
“I have my explanation – it’s what I was told at the time – which was that the American administration said they were American and implied they were on their way to Israel. Now, what that ‘on the way’ implies or doesn’t imply… The fact is there was no communication to the minister that could have been made. And the fact is also that the tacit deference system only exists for the Americans because the base is leased to them,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s office, led by Luís Montenegro, refuted on Friday the statements made by Israel’s ambassador to Portugal about the stealth fighters that stopped over in the Azores. Oren Rozenblat mentioned in an interview that “fighter matters are somewhat secretive between the governments of Portugal, Israel, and the United States.”
Notícias ao Minuto | 18:51 – 10/10/2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) acknowledged on October 2 an internal procedural failure when it was not informed by services about the aircraft’s passage.
The aircraft movement in April received a favorable opinion from the National Aeronautical Authority (AAN), which is dependent on the Ministry of National Defense, and had “tacit communication and authorization,” according to the MNE.
According to the government, the failure did not allow an alert to be raised at a political level to enable an opposition decision.
When questioned if he thinks the government could have handled this differently, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that “it is not the government.” “Here, apparently, it was a bureaucratic function within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was not related to the minister,” he said.
PS, PCP, and Livre have announced they will call the head of diplomacy, Paulo Rangel, and also the Minister of Defense, Nuno Melo, whose dismissal was requested by the Bloco de Esquerda and denied by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
