Israel moves to block Turkey's F-35 return
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- Netanyahu is lobbying Washington against Turkey's return to the F-35 program, arguing Turkish F-35s would "destroy the power balance" and invoking Israel's qualitative military edge — a U.S. legal standard never formally applied to a NATO ally.
- Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara said he would lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey and was "certainly" considering restoring its F-35 access, suspended since Turkey's 2019 purchase of Russian S-400s.
- Turkey paid $1.5 billion into the F-35 program and financed six aircraft that were never delivered, making it the only participant expelled after paying in; the S-400s now sit rusting in a hangar.
- Congress cleared review of a $700 million sale of F110 engines for Turkey's domestic KAAN fighter in July, and Turkey is reportedly exploring transferring its S-400 batteries to a Gulf state — a step Washington has demanded for years.
- Israel operates 48 F-35s and is contracted for 100, versus Turkey's bid for the six it already paid for; Turkey's return would narrow but not erase Israel's asymmetric advantage.
- Hakan Fidan said Israel "has become a problem for the world"; Netanyahu recast this on Fox as a call to "wipe out" the Jewish state, though Turkey has recognized Israel since 1949 and supports a two-state solution.
- Trump told reporters "nobody tells me what we should be selling or not" and appointed Tom Barrack as ambassador to Turkey, signaling little incentive to abandon the opening despite Israeli objections.
Why it matters: Israel's attempt to block a NATO ally's F-35 return puts the qualitative military edge doctrine — previously invoked against Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — in direct tension with alliance requirements. Turkey holds leverage through its reported S-400 transfer talks and the F110 engine deal for its KAAN fighter that already cleared Congress in July.
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