Netanyahu Urges Trump to Block F-35 Sales to Turkey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.S. President Donald Trump to block the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets and advanced aircraft engines to Turkey, warning that such a move would upset the Middle East power balance and erode Israel's qualitative military edge. Netanyahu described the Turkish leadership under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a "regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood" and alleged that Turkey supports Hamas and promotes extremist ideology.

The request comes as President Trump prepares to meet Erdogan at a NATO summit in Ankara. While Turkey was banned from the F-35 program in 2019 for purchasing Russian S-400 air defense systems, reports indicate the Trump administration may be prepared to readmit the country. Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has since indicated a reduced requirement of 40 jets, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey dismissed Netanyahu's objections as a "disinformation campaign."

Simultaneously, Netanyahu denied reports of a diplomatic rift with Trump, asserting the two leaders "see eye to eye on just about everything," particularly the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. This follows remarks from Trump that Netanyahu "knows who the boss is" and a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding for a regional ceasefire that some Israeli officials criticized. Netanyahu also urged Trump to pressure Erdogan to reduce anti-Israel rhetoric, as Turkish officials have recently characterized Zionism as a "genocidal ideology."