Ariel Kahana (Israel Hayom) reports, citing the Turkish daily Hürriyet, that President Erdoğan has sold the Russian-made S-400 air defense system to Qatar. The move would remove the primary legal obstacle under U.S. law that led to Turkey's removal from the F-35 program, potentially allowing Ankara to rejoin the stealth fighter project.
The report, published by Kahana on Friday morning, cites the Turkish daily Hürriyet as the source for the claim that Erdoğan has sold the S-400 system to Qatar. This confirms the identity of the third country that Turkey was expected to announce as the buyer of the S-400, as The Zioneer reported earlier today (10:12 Jerusalem) based on unnamed reports. The S-400 sale to a third country was widely seen as the only way to satisfy U.S. legal requirements under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which mandates sanctions on Turkey for possessing the Russian system. The sale to Qatar, a U.S. ally and major gas exporter, would remove the main obstacle to Turkey's re-entry into the F-35 program, a move that U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he supports. The report has not been independently confirmed, and the details of the sale—including price and timeline—remain unverified. The Zioneer has previously reported on the growing likelihood of Turkey's return to the F-35 program, including Trump's statements and the administration's push to lift CAATSA sanctions.
4 developments
- DevelopingSegal: Turkey has not earned trust — F-35 sale to Erdogan endangers Israel's security
- DevelopingUS House lawmakers urge Rubio and Hegseth to block F-35 sale to Turkey over S-400 concerns
- StrongAnalysis: Trump's renewed push for F-35 sale to Turkey threatens Israel's air supremacy in the Mediterranean
- DevelopingCongressional critics and slim chances to block F-35 and engine sale to Turkey
Source and signal
- Internal intake