Netanyahu urges US to block F-35 sales to Türkiye
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- Netanyahu urged the US not to sell F-35 fighter jets or components to Türkiye ahead of Trump's Monday visit to Ankara for a NATO summit, warning it would "upset the power balance" guaranteed by Israeli air superiority
- Netanyahu cited President Erdogan's "open calls for the annihilation of Israel" and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's claim that Israel is "the world's problem" and "a burden that humanity can no longer bear"
- Türkiye is seeking F110 jet engines and readmission to the F-35 programme, which analysts say would support its domestic KAAN stealth fighter and its bid to join the US, China and Russia as producers of fifth-generation combat aircraft
- Türkiye was expelled from the F-35 programme in 2019 after acquiring Russian S-400 missile defence systems in 2017
- Trump last month promised to make Erdogan "very happy" when asked about Türkiye's F-35 and engine requests, creating the diplomatic opening Netanyahu is now trying to close
- Netanyahu said his relationship with Trump remains "fine" despite "hiccups" over the Iran war, but confirmed no date has been set for a Washington meeting — their last meeting was in February at the White House
Why it matters: Netanyahu is publicly lobbying Trump to block a defense deal Türkiye views as a national security priority, setting up a direct Israel-Türkiye collision ahead of a NATO summit where Trump is expected to court Erdogan. Re-admitting Türkiye to the F-35 programme would also feed its KAAN fifth-generation fighter program, narrowing the technological gap the US has enforced since Ankara's 2019 expulsion over the Russian S-400 purchase.
