Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly called on President Donald Trump to deny Turkey access to F-35 stealth fighters and the F110 engines that power its existing fleet, framing the potential transfer as a direct threat to the military equilibrium in the Middle East. The appeal, made during a Fox News interview broadcast on Monday, comes as Mr Trump travels to Ankara for a NATO summit this week, where the issue of defence-industrial cooperation is expected to feature prominently.

Mr Netanyahu argued that Turkey, which he described as a “regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood,” is governed by a leader who “calls openly for the annihilation of Israel” and threatens fellow NATO member Greece. He cited Ankara’s occupation of northern Cyprus and its support for Hamas as further evidence that the country should not be entrusted with the most advanced American combat aircraft. According to the Israeli leader, the regional order rests on Israel’s unchallenged air superiority and the United States’ forward military posture, both of which would be jeopardised if Turkey were to acquire the fifth-generation jets.

Viewed from Washington, the calculus is more complex. Turkey was expelled from the F-35 programme in 2019 after it purchased the Russian S-400 air-defence system, a move that US officials said compromised the fighter’s stealth technology. President Trump, however, has recently signalled a willingness to make Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “very happy” by reopening the path to F-35 participation and approving the sale of F110 engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter. Any such decision would require congressional approval, a point underscored by Vice President JD Vance, and faces opposition from lawmakers who view Ankara’s strategic drift toward Moscow with suspicion.

From Ankara’s perspective, the demand for F-35s is part of a broader effort to modernise its air force and assert strategic autonomy. Turkish officials have long argued that the S-400 acquisition was a sovereign decision and that the country, as a NATO ally and original partner in the Joint Strike Fighter programme, retains a legitimate claim to the aircraft. The dispute is further complicated by the two countries’ clashing interests in post-Assad Syria, where Israel views Turkey’s growing influence over Damascus as a security threat and Ankara condemns Israeli strikes on Syrian military infrastructure. The matter is likely to be raised during Mr Trump’s visit, though no formal decision is expected before consultations with Congress.