Netanyahu Urges Trump to Block F-35 Sales to Turkey Amid NATO Summit
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, has urged Washington to refrain from selling F-35 fighter jets and advanced engines to Ankara as US President Donald Trump visits Turkey for a NATO summit. Netanyahu warned that providing these military assets could alter the balance of power in the Middle East.
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu described Turkey as a “regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood” and stated his belief that F-35 jets and their engines should not be handed over to the country. He emphasized that Israel’s air superiority and the United States’ position in the region are crucial for maintaining the current balance.
These remarks come as Trump last month implicitly supported the possible sale of F110 engines to Turkey and the country’s return to the F-35 fighter jet program, which Turkey was previously a part of.
Netanyahu also called Turkey a “great country,” but criticized the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claiming that Erdoğan threatens Israel’s destruction and occupies half of Cyprus. These statements, made ahead of the NATO summit, could cast a shadow over defense cooperation talks between Washington and Ankara.
