Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the United States to reject any plans to sell F-35 fighter jets or related components to Turkiye, warning that such a move could significantly alter the military balance in the Middle East. His remarks came ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Ankara for the NATO summit, where defense cooperation between Washington and Turkiye is expected to be a key topic.
Speaking during an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said providing F-35 aircraft or advanced fighter jet engines to Turkiye would strengthen Ankara’s military capabilities in a way that could threaten Israel’s regional air superiority. He stressed that Israel’s technological advantage has long played a major role in maintaining stability across the region.
The Israeli leader also criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claiming that Erdogan has repeatedly made hostile statements against Israel. According to Netanyahu, rewarding Turkiye with cutting edge military technology would be the wrong decision at a time of growing regional tensions.
Last month, President Trump indicated that he wanted to improve relations with Turkiye and said he hoped to make Erdogan “very happy.” Reports suggest Ankara is seeking to purchase F110 fighter jet engines and is also interested in rejoining the F-35 fighter jet program after being removed several years ago.
Defense analysts believe Turkiye wants the engines to support development of its KAAN stealth fighter, a next generation aircraft designed to strengthen the country’s domestic defense industry. Successfully completing the project would place Turkiye among the limited number of nations capable of producing fifth generation fighter jets.
Turkiye was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system, a move that raised security concerns in Washington and led to sanctions.
Despite recent disagreements over the conflict with Iran, Netanyahu insisted that his relationship with President Trump remains strong. He described the United States and Israel as close allies and said cooperation between the two governments continues despite occasional policy differences.
