Published On 7/7/2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday against the United States selling F-35 fighters to Turkey, considering that this would “disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East.”
Netanyahu revealed – in statements to CNN – that he had repeatedly spoken with US President Donald Trump about this matter.
He considered that the personal friendship between Trump and Erdogan “does not make Turkey a friendly country to the United States,” adding that Turkey has “an extremist regime that smiles at America or its president when necessary,” reiterating the warning that if it obtains F-35 fighters, “there will be aggressive actions.”
Netanyahu’s statements – who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of committing genocide and war crimes – come after frequent talk about the imminent announcement of allowing Turkey to possess the F-35.
Today, during his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Ankara, Trump promised to consider the possibility of selling Turkey F-35 aircraft, after Washington excluded it from the program of these advanced fighters due to its purchase of a Russian air defense system.
Trump said that Turkey is a more loyal partner compared to others, adding, “Therefore, this is certainly an issue that we will take into consideration. It is a wonderful plane, the best, even the best at the moment and by a wide margin, and this is certainly an option that we will consider.”
For his part, President Erdogan expressed his confidence in the issuance of a positive decision from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit currently being held in his country, regarding Ankara’s desire to purchase F-35 fighter jets, after his meeting with his American counterpart, adding that Trump had promised to provide Turkey with 5 aircraft and that he “always fulfills his promises.”
A Turkish official told Al Jazeera that Trump expressed to President Erdogan his desire to provide Türkiye with F-35 fighters, pledging to say, “We are ready to provide security guarantees.”
In addition to the F-35 fighters, the director of Al Jazeera’s office in Ankara, Abdul Azim Muhammad, said that Turkey is very interested in the engines of the Turkish “Kan” jet aircraft, as it seeks to obtain the right to manufacture these engines, which are of the American “F-110” model.
Muhammad quoted Trump as saying that Türkiye is an ally and its acquisition of these technologies does not represent any concern for the United States, and that America must support its ally in this issue.
Netanyahu: My differences with Trump are circumstantial
In a separate context, Netanyahu revealed – in his interview with CNN – what he described as “situational differences” that occurred over some matters with Trump, adding, “He is the president of America and he does what is in its interest, and I am the prime minister of Israel and I do what is in its interest.”
However, Israeli interests coincide with American interests “for the most part,” he said. He added, “We agree with President Trump on major issues, even if we disagree sometimes, but we are true allies.”
He continued, “America has no greater ally in the world than Israel, and Tel Aviv has no greater ally than the United States.”
Netanyahu’s position on the Iran agreement
Regarding the Iran file, the Israeli Prime Minister said that he has doubts about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Tehran, adding, “However, I see the need to give President Trump a chance,” stressing that he will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, “whether an agreement is reached or not.”
He added – in his interview with the American Network – that he sees no indications of reaching an agreement with Iran, expressing his hope that the American President will fulfill his promises to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program.
He said that if an agreement is reached with Iran, it must be considered whether it actually achieves the main goals, pointing out that “the most important of which is ending the nuclear program and removing the enriched materials.”
