Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised concerns with U.S. President Donald Trump over Turkey during a phone call Thursday, his office said, after the U.S. president signaled he was considering selling advanced F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
According to Netanyahu's office, the prime minister warned Trump about what it described as the "severity" of recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior Turkish officials.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Donald Trump arrive at the NATO summit in Ankara
(Video: Reuters)
Netanyahu also stressed "the need for security zones along Israel's borders," the statement said, after Trump remarked this week that he believed Israel wanted to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
The call came after Trump publicly praised Erdogan during the NATO summit in Ankara, where the two leaders appeared together and Trump suggested Turkey could eventually receive the fifth-generation stealth fighter jets.
"Turkey's been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal," Trump told reporters alongside Erdogan when asked about the possible sale. "It's a decision we're going to make."
Trump also praised his relationship with the Turkish leader. "We've had right from the beginning, good chemistry. We've had a very special relationship," he said. "Turkey has become, under the president, a very powerful country militarily. People don't know how powerful, actually."
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US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Shutterstock, Prime Minister's Office)
Trump also said he planned to lift U.S. sanctions imposed on Turkey over its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system. "You don't want to sanction friends," he said.
Israeli officials have been lobbying Washington to block any sale of F-35 aircraft to Turkey or, failing that, to provide Ankara with a downgraded version in order to preserve Israel's longstanding qualitative military edge in the region.
Erdogan has dismissed Israel's opposition, saying it has no place in discussions over Turkey's defense procurement.
Netanyahu's office also referred to recent comments by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who told CNN Türk that "Israel has become a problem for the entire international community."
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan
(Photo: Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
""We have no intention of backing down from our position," Fidan said. "Israel is no longer just Turkey's problem. It has become the world's problem. The Israeli authorities have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear."
Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu appeared to allude to the possible F-35 sale during a graduation ceremony for air force pilots, saying Israel "must remain stronger than our enemies."
"The war has not ended. There are new challenges," Netanyahu said without mentioning Turkey by name. "Maintaining air superiority is a fundamental pillar of Israel's national security doctrine. It is key to preserving stability in the turbulent Middle East. We are achieving this through the continual improvement of both our people and our equipment."
First published: 23:49, 07.09.26