Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stark warning to the United States ahead of a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a NATO summit in Turkey. In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu cautioned that allowing Turkey to purchase advanced F-35 fighter jets would fundamentally destabilise the Middle East and undermine Israel’s strategic military advantage in the region.
The Israeli leader expressed concern that any such arms deal would tip the regional balance of power, describing Israeli air superiority as the cornerstone of security architecture in the Middle East. Netanyahu’s intervention suggests he fears the Trump administration may use the advanced aircraft as a diplomatic bargaining chip to strengthen relations with NATO ally Turkey, potentially at Israel’s expense.
The warning comes at a delicate moment in Israeli-Turkish relations and reflects broader anxieties in Jerusalem about how the incoming Trump administration might navigate competing strategic interests in the region. Israel has long opposed Turkey’s acquisition of the F-35, viewing it as a potential threat given historical tensions between the two countries and Turkey’s complex geopolitical positioning.
The timing of Netanyahu’s public warning indicates the Israeli government is attempting to influence the upcoming Trump-Erdoğan discussions before any commitments are made. The F-35 Lightning II is one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets, and its sale to any nation is tightly controlled by the United States, making presidential approval essential for any such transaction.
Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.
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