Prime Minister Netanyahu asked President Trump not to sell F-35 fighter jets or engines to Turkey ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, Israeli media report. Netanyahu argued the sale would upset the regional power balance and threaten Israel's air superiority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly asked U.S. President Donald Trump to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets and fighter jet engines to Turkey, according to an Israeli media report published early Tuesday. The request comes ahead of a NATO summit scheduled for Ankara, where the issue is expected to feature high on the agenda.
As The Zioneer reported Monday evening, Netanyahu had previously raised concerns with the Trump administration about strengthening Turkish military capabilities. Monday night's bulletin cited an Israeli media report that Netanyahu asked Trump not to sell weapons systems to Turkey. The current report specifies the request focuses on F-35 stealth fighters and their engines, and ties it to the upcoming summit.
The Prime Minister reportedly argued that transferring advanced American fifth-generation aircraft to Turkey would upset the regional power balance in the Middle East and directly threaten Israel's air superiority, a longstanding red line for the Israeli defense establishment. The report did not specify Trump's response.
Netanyahu's concerns are part of a sustained Israeli campaign against the prospective sale, which has also drawn opposition from several American lawmakers and commentators amid deteriorating U.S.-Turkey relations under President Erdogan. The intelligence source for the report is a described Israeli media report; additional on-record confirmation from the Prime Minister's Office is not yet available.
3 developments
- DevelopingFormer Israeli Air Force official urges government to block potential US F-35 sale to Turkey
- StrongNetanyahu tells Fox News: Erdogan threatens Israel, Greece, Cyprus, destabilizes region; should not get F-35
- StrongAnalysis: Trump's renewed push for F-35 sale to Turkey threatens Israel's air supremacy in the Mediterranean
- StrongTrump says he will likely approve F-35 and engine sale to Turkey
Source and signal
- Internal intake