Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned President Donald Trump against approving a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during a phone call Thursday night, arguing that the advanced warplanes would fundamentally shift the military balance in the Middle East.
Netanyahu told Trump that providing the stealth jets to Turkey would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East,” according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office and reporting from multiple outlets. The warning came just hours after Trump announced his willingness to sell the aircraft to Ankara during his visit to Turkey for the NATO summit.
In a separate CNN interview, Netanyahu elaborated on his concerns, describing Turkey as “a regime infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States.” He added: “When you give them that power, you’re going to see aggression in its wake.”
Netanyahu also raised Erdogan’s hostile rhetoric toward Israel during the call, citing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent statements against the Jewish state. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously told CNN Turk that Israel “has become a burden that humanity can no longer bear,” prompting Israel’s foreign minister to condemn the remarks as “textbook incitement to genocide.”
Trump’s openness to the sale marks a significant reversal from his first term, when he imposed a ban on F-35 sales to Turkey in 2020. The U.S. originally removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system, citing security concerns over the Russian equipment’s compatibility with American stealth technology.
Congress passed legislation in late 2019 prohibiting any F-35 sales to Turkey as long as it retained the S-400 systems. Turkey has long sought readmission to the F-35 program and relief from U.S. sanctions imposed over the Russian purchase. During his visit to Ankara, Trump indicated he would consider lifting those sanctions, saying “It’s time. We don’t want to sanction friends.”
Erdogan said Turkey had been promised five F-35 jets previously and that he believed Trump would keep his word. “I know that Mr. Trump always keeps his promises,” the Turkish president said Tuesday.
Netanyahu downplayed any public rift with Trump, telling CNN that the two leaders “see eye-to-eye” on major issues and that their interests align most of the time. However, his direct appeal to Trump on the F-35 sale underscores Israeli concerns about Ankara’s military modernization and Erdogan’s increasingly confrontational stance toward Israel.
Sources
- CNN — Netanyahu’s exclusive interview opposing the F-35 sale, his characterization of Turkey as Muslim Brotherhood-infected, and his statement that the sale would destroy Middle East power balance
- The Jerusalem Post — Details of the Thursday phone call between Netanyahu and Trump, including Netanyahu’s warning against the F-35 deal and his raising of Erdogan’s anti-Israel rhetoric
- France 24 — Trump’s announcement of willingness to sell F-35s to Turkey during NATO summit, Congress’s 2019 law prohibiting sales while Turkey retains S-400s, and Netanyahu’s power balance warning
- Defense News — Turkey’s 2019 removal from F-35 program following S-400 purchase
- BBC — U.S. removal of Turkey from F-35 program in July 2019 after Russian missile system acquisition
