Netanyahu Opposes US Sale of F-35 Jets to Turkey, Cites Regional Instability

Washington DC. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed the US's potential decision to sell advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey. However, he claimed there was no serious disagreement with US President Donald Trump on this matter. In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu warned that providing F-35s to Turkey would disrupt the power balance in West Asia. He criticized the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, commenting that Turkey is not currently an ideal ally of the US.

Netanyahu also accused Turkey's current regime of being influenced by the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to him, since Erdoğan has been threatening to destroy Israel, giving Turkey such military capability could be risky for regional peace. He stated that he had directly urged President Trump not to sell F-35s to Turkey. According to him, such a sale would seriously affect the military power balance in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Trump, during the NATO summit, visited Turkey and called Turkey an extraordinary ally of the US. He also gave positive signals about the possibility of lifting the ban on F-35 sales imposed during his first term. However, Netanyahu denied comments about a strained relationship with Trump. He stated that both leaders share similar views on most strategic issues.

"He is the President of the United States and makes decisions in the interest of America. I am the Prime Minister of Israel and work in the interest of Israel. In most cases, these two interests align with each other," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu stated that a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran should not be concluded immediately. According to him, President Trump is confident that Iran's nuclear program can be stopped through negotiations, but he expressed doubt about it.