Full story
F-35 dispute in Ankara
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed a possible US sale of US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey during a NATO summit in Ankara, warning that it would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East.”
“In short: US President Donald Trump says he will consider selling F-35 jet fighters to Turkey, which would mean reversing a ban he implemented in 2009”
Netanyahu told CNN that “The sale of America's most advanced fighter aircraft 'doesn't makeTurkeya friendly state to the United States,'” as he argued Turkey’s alignment with Washington was not enough to make it a reliable partner.
The dispute unfolded as US President Donald Trump said his administration would lift sanctions on Turkey and would soon decide whether to resume the sale of F-35 jets, while also saying “We're going to be taking the sanctions off.”
The reporting tied the moment to Turkey’s earlier removal from the F-35 programme in 2019 after Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system, and to the congressional ban that CNN said Trump was considering reversing.
In the same broader diplomatic setting, Trump said he was “considering the sale” while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, and Netanyahu said he had personally urged Trump not to approve it after Trump indicated he was considering reversing restrictions.
Netanyahu’s warnings and Gaza
Netanyahu framed his opposition around what he described as Turkey’s intentions, telling CNN that “When you give them that power, you're going to see aggression in its wake,” and he added that Erdogan “threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state.”
In the same CNN interview coverage, Netanyahu also said he had spoken directly to Trump several times about the issue, while emphasizing that “it doesn’t make Turkey a friendly state to the United States.”
The ABC News & Headlines account connected the dispute to a wider pattern of tensions between Netanyahu and Trump, noting that Netanyahu is “subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.”
That same ABC News & Headlines report said a UN commission of inquiry has found Israel committed genocide, and it described CNN’s Dana Bash pushing Netanyahu on whether he was taking responsibility amid “the ongoing war in Gaza.”
What’s at stake next
The reporting portrayed the F-35 question as a test of US-Turkey defence relations after years of tensions tied to the S-400 purchase, with the Indian Express saying Trump was expected to back the potential sale despite unresolved legal and congressional hurdles.
“Trump: "We will lift the sanctions on Turkey," and Netanyahu warns against selling American fighter jets to Ankara”
The Indian Express also said one proposal gaining traction involved transferring Turkey’s S-400 system to a third country, while noting that “no agreement has been reached” and that it remained unclear whether Russia would approve given end-user restrictions.
Netanyahu’s warnings were presented as part of a broader strategic posture, with the Jerusalem Post reporting that he told CNN that Turkey is not a “friendly state” to the US due to Ankara’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization.
At the same time, the BBC coverage framed the immediate US move as lifting sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2020 over its acquisition of Russian air defence systems, while Netanyahu warned that selling US fighter jets to Turkey would “blow up the balance of power in the Middle East.”
