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During his meeting with President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the US to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Israeli-Turkish relations are in a shitty spot, primarily driven by deep disagreements over Gaza and Hamas. Since Israel launched its military operations in Gaza, Turkey has strongly condemned the actions, cutting off diplomatic ties and openly supporting Palestinian causes. A major point of contention is Turkey’s hosting of Hamas officials, whom Israel considers terrorists but Turkey views as legitimate political actors representing Palestinian resistance. This split has infuriated Israeli leaders, who see Turkey’s stance as undermining regional security. Tensions have only intensified with Turkey’s recent military moves in Syria, including its growing cooperation with the new government and talk that the Turkish military could deploy air defense systems in Syria.
What’s going on now: Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed hard to block the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, warning that Turkey’s expanding presence in Syria and its ties to Hamas posed a direct threat to Israel and regional stability. Netanyahu reportedly expressed concern over Turkey’s strategic ambitions and its alliance with actors hostile to Israel. His problem is also rooted in Turkey’s history of having Russian-made military equipment, particularly the S-400 missile system, which previously blew Turkey’s chances of obtaining F-35s.
The push came as the Trump administration reconsidered Turkey’s return to the F-35 program, viewing it as a potential diplomatic breakthrough. Officials floated a deal in which Turkey could let go of its S-400 systems—either by disabling them or relocating them to a US-controlled base—in exchange for renewed access to the fifth-generation fighter jets.
The move was part of a broader effort by Trump’s team to pull Turkey back toward the Western orbit and away from Russian and Chinese defense partnerships, especially amid rising tensions within NATO and concerns over Turkey’s shifting geopolitical alignment.
While speaking to the press in the Oval Office today, Netanyahu acknowledged that both sides talked about Turkey, saying, “We had neighborly relations with Turkey that have deteriorated, and we don’t want to see Syria used by anyone, including Turkey, as a base for an attack on Israel. Turkey is a country that has a great relationship with the United States, we discussed how we can avoid this conflict.”
Despite this, Secretary Rubio has long been skeptical of selling F-35s to Turkey and has positioned himself as one of Washington’s most vocal Turkey “hawks.” While he was a senator, Rubio co-authored legislation aimed at strengthening Israel, Greece, and Cyprus—Turkey’s regional rivals—and has repeatedly criticized the Turkish government and accused President Erdogan of pushing authoritarian rule.
No comment from Turkey yet.
