Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly opposed any US sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, warning that such a transfer would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East.” In a television interview on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he had personally appealed to President Donald Trump not to approve the deal, describing Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “a regime that’s infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States” and “not exactly a model ally.” The remarks came hours after Trump, speaking alongside Erdoğan at a NATO summit, said he would “certainly consider” lifting the ban imposed during his first term and described Turkey as an “extraordinary” ally.

Viewed from Jerusalem, the F-35 is a cornerstone of Israel’s qualitative military edge, used extensively in long-range strikes including operations against Iran. Israeli defence planners argue that allowing Turkey to acquire the aircraft would erode that advantage and embolden what Netanyahu called Ankara’s “aggressive aspirations.” Turkish officials, for their part, have signalled confidence that a positive decision could emerge from the summit, with Erdoğan stating that earlier US assurances regarding five fighters would be honoured. Washington’s position remains split: while the White House signals openness, a congressional ban remains in force, enacted after Turkey’s 2019 acquisition of Russian S-400 air-defence systems, which US lawmakers deemed a security threat to the F-35 programme.

Turkey was expelled from the F-35 consortium in 2019 and later sanctioned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Ankara has long called the exclusion unjust, and Trump’s announcement that sanctions would be lifted marks a potential reversal. The diplomatic backdrop is further strained by escalating rhetoric between Israel and Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last week called Israel “a burden that humanity can no longer bear,” prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to denounce the statement as “textbook incitement to genocide.” Erdoğan has previously referred to Netanyahu as a tyrant and to Israeli soldiers as war criminals.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected in Israel on Wednesday, in what reports describe as a mission partly aimed at reassuring the Israeli government over the F-35 question; the Iran dossier is also on the agenda. Netanyahu, meanwhile, adopted a cautious tone on the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, saying it was “too early to speculate” but that Trump should be given a chance to pursue negotiations. He downplayed any rift with the president, stating that their views “most of the time” align. The dossier now hinges on whether the White House will formally request a waiver from Congress, where opposition to any F-35 transfer to Turkey remains entrenched.