Netanyahu Warns Trump Against Selling F-35 Jets to Turkey

Hours after US President Donald Trump announced he was considering selling F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his opposition to the potential deal.

In an interview with the American news network CNN, Netanyahu warned that providing Turkey with the latest US fighter jets "does not make Turkey a friend of the United States."

Amid escalating tensions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Netanyahu described Ankara as "a regime infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States. It is not an ideal ally for the United States. It threatens to destroy my country, the only Jewish state."

Netanyahu stated, "This is not a force for peace and stability. When you give them this power, you will see aggression follow."

He confirmed that he had directly urged Trump not to sell the jets to Turkey, warning that such a sale "would destroy the balance of power in the Middle East."

Meanwhile, Trump, who was in Turkey to attend a NATO summit, indicated his willingness to lift the ban he had imposed during his first term on selling these aircraft to Ankara, which he described as an "exceptional ally" of the United States.

In related developments, CNN and the news site Axios reported that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to visit Israel on Wednesday.

Reports suggest the visit aims in part to ease Israeli concerns about the possible sale of F-35 jets to Turkey, with Iran also expected to be a topic of discussion.

Hegseth, visiting Israel for the first time as defense secretary, is likely to meet with Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.

In recent years, tensions between Israel and Turkey have intensified, particularly over the Gaza conflict and influence in Syria.

Last week, in an interview with CNN Türk, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described Israel as "a burden humanity cannot bear," prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar to condemn the remarks as "explicit incitement to genocide," according to his statement.