Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump not to reopen the path for Turkey to acquire U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hostility toward Israel and other nations as a significant security risk.
Security Concerns
Netanyahu’s remarks come ahead of Trump’s attendance at the NATO summit in Ankara. The president has signaled a willingness to revisit Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program, years after Ankara was removed due to its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.
Netanyahu maintained that the region’s security rests on Israel’s air superiority and the United States’ military posture, arguing that providing Turkey with the F-35s would jeopardize that balance. He pointed to Erdoğan’s calls for Israel’s destruction, Turkey’s support for Hamas, and its threats against fellow NATO member Greece as evidence that Ankara should not be entrusted with advanced military technology.
Netanyahu also warned about Iran, claiming the country’s leadership remains committed to anti-American and anti-Israel values despite recent military setbacks. He cited chants of ‘Death to America’ at the funeral of senior commanders killed in strikes as an example of this hostility.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
