Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a planned trip next week to attend U.S. President Barack Obama's nuclear security summit.
Israeli officials say Mr. Netanyahu called off his visit to Washington because Egypt and Turkey planned to use the summit to target Israel about its presumed nuclear arsenal.
Israeli officials say the head of Israel's atomic energy agency, Dan Meridor, will attend the summit instead of Mr. Netanyahu.
Israel has two nuclear reactors, including one in the city of Dimona that is believed to be used to build the country's stockpile of atomic weapons.
The Jewish state has never confirmed or denied that it possesses nuclear weapons. Israel also has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to halt the spread of nuclear technologies that can be used to produce atomic weapons.
Before deciding to cancel his trip to the U.S., Mr. Netanyahu told reporters Wednesday he was not concerned anyone at the summit would think Israel is a terrorist regime, and that there are several "terrorist and rogue" regimes around Israel.
President Obama has invited officials from more than 40 countries to attend the two-day nuclear security summit, which will focus on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to terrorists or dangerous states.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
