“It is astonishing to me that a news article, false in substance, can circulate for 24 hours concerning matters that do not involve me, as they are unrelated to National Defense, creating wrong perceptions among people, possibly explaining why extremism seems to grow by the day’s end,” Nuno Melo stated.
Nuno Melo was speaking on the sidelines of a campaign event in Viseu as the leader of the CDS-PP, backing the candidate for the municipal elections on October 12. He faced questions from the public, not only as a party leader but also as a government official.
He addressed journalists regarding alleged approvals he supposedly gave for F-35 fighter jets’ stopover en route to Israel at the Lajes Air Base in the Azores.
The government clarified that the passage of U.S. aircraft took place without prior notification to Portugal’s head of diplomacy, Paulo Rangel, describing it as a “procedural failure,” which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) intends to investigate further.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro emphasized today that “the government did not engage in any act that could be perceived as military armament sales to Israel.”
“Fighting for truth is increasingly a fight for freedom and democracy, as so-called ‘fake news’ distort the democratic regime, pollute public debate, cause immense harm, and indeed, fuel the rise of extremism,” he argued.
“A piece of news about facts attributed to me, which I never conducted, concerning National Defense competencies—competencies the Defense does not possess—yet it spread, creating this false perception and even leading to reactions,” he said.
Nuno Melo insisted that a request for authorization for the planes to land at Lajes “does not exist” and “is completely absurd.”
The Defense Minister stated today that he cannot comment on a matter unrelated to his jurisdiction, and mentioned that both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister “have said everything necessary.”
Lusa | 21:44 – 03/10/2025
The official criticized “prominent television commentators” for suggesting that the Defense Minister “authorized, without informing other governmental areas, the deployment of fighter jets. It is absurd, false, deceitful, and ridiculous, and it’s astonishing how easily a lie can spread, prompting so-called expert commentators to deliver eruditions that should be shameful.”
“A lie should not be allowed to persist, nor create false perceptions. Public debate requires truth for it to rest on veracity, be healthy, and reach the audience exactly as spoken, allowing voters to make informed decisions. If the truth is distorted or manipulated, what reaches the audience is a lie, and this is entirely intolerable in a democracy,” he maintained.
When questioned about his readiness to appear before parliament, the Defense Minister identified himself as “parliamentary at heart.”
“I enjoy going to parliament and will gladly do so; I just don’t know what to say there—should I speak about issues unrelated to National Defense? Isn’t that absurd? It transforms public debate into something esoteric, as if we are living in a parallel reality,” he remarked.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) acknowledged on Thursday an internal procedural error when its services did not inform about the U.S. F-35 jets en route to Israel passing through the Lajes Base in the Azores.
The aircraft movements in April received a favorable opinion from the National Aeronautical Authority (AAN), which relies on the Ministry of National Defense, and had “tacit communication and authorization,” according to the MNE.
The error, according to the government, prevented a political alert that could allow a decision to oppose.
The PS, PCP, and Livre parties announced they would summon Chief of Diplomacy Paulo Rangel and Defense Minister Nuno Melo to parliament. The Left Bloc called for Melo’s resignation, which Prime Minister Luís Montenegro rejected.
