Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump not to reopen the path for Turkey to acquire U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets during an appearance Monday, saying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's hostility toward Israel and other nations makes the NATO ally an unacceptable security risk."For a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants 'Death to America,' from that side of the spectrum, I don't think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets," he said, warning the move could "upset the power balance in the Middle East."Netanyahu's remarks come ahead of Trump's attendance at this week's NATO summit in Ankara.The president has signaled a willingness to revisit Turkey's participation in the F-35 program, years after Ankara was removed from the program because of its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.TRUMP ENVOY TO TURKEY DOUBLES DOWN AFTER BACKLASH, PUSHES ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’ POLICYIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters during a press conference on the U.S.-Iran deal on June 15, 2026.
(Israel Government Press Office)Netanyahu maintained that the region's security rests on Israel's air superiority and the United States' military posture, arguing that providing Turkey with the weaponry would jeopardize that balance.The Israeli leader pointed to Erdoğan's calls for Israel's destruction, Turkey's support for Hamas and its threats against fellow NATO member Greece as evidence that Ankara should not be entrusted with advanced military technology.SOCIALIST COLORADO CANDIDATE BLAMES ISRAEL FOR 'PUTTING JEWISH PEOPLE IN GREAT DANGER'President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gives a press conference at the NATO summit on June 25, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands.(Pierre Crom/Getty Images)"[Turkey] is governed by a man who calls openly for the annihilation of Israel," he warned.
"He's threatening Greece, another NATO country, and...