US President Donald Trump updated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on American military moves in the Gulf during a phone call on Thursday, according to statements from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. The two leaders agreed to continue coordination across multiple fronts, the readout said, while Netanyahu raised what he described as the severity of recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his allies against the existence of the State of Israel. The call took place against the backdrop of US strikes on Iran and retaliatory missile launches by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against American bases in the region, as well as a simmering dispute over the potential sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey.

Greece has publicly voiced its strongest concern yet over the possibility that Washington could pave the way for Turkey’s return to the F-35 programme. Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said advanced American weapons should never be used against fellow NATO allies and demanded that any transfer include restrictions preventing their use against another alliance member. A senior Greek diplomatic official added that Athens has raised the issue through every available diplomatic channel, citing Turkey’s longstanding casus belli declaration should Greece extend its territorial waters in the Aegean. Israel, the only Middle Eastern operator of the customised F-35I Adir, has similarly urged Washington not to proceed, with Netanyahu telling CNN that Erdoğan “threatens to destroy my country, the only Jewish state” and warning that supplying the aircraft would alter the regional military balance.

Viewed from Washington, the Trump administration is signalling a possible recalibration of ties with Ankara. At the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the US would consider the F-35 sale because its relationship with Turkey is better than with other countries that had been expected to be more loyal, and he praised Ankara for not joining fighting “on the other side.” Turkish officials, for their part, say Erdoğan dismissed objections from Greece and Israel, asserting Turkey’s right to acquire defensive equipment. However, US officials and congressional aides note that Turkey remains far from rejoining the programme: it was expelled in 2019 after acquiring the Russian S-400 air defence system, and any reinstatement would require Ankara to verifiably divest the system and likely changes to US legislation, including provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act.

The broader strategic context extends beyond the aircraft. Israeli defence planners, according to security sources cited in regional media, view the eastern Mediterranean as a likely friction point in the coming decade, with gas discoveries, energy infrastructure, and Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” maritime doctrine all intersecting. Netanyahu’s call with Trump also stressed the need to maintain security zones along Israel’s borders, a reference to arrangements in Lebanon and Syria. For now, no decision on the F-35 has been announced, and the legal and political pathway remains highly restrictive. Greek and Israeli diplomatic efforts continue, while Ankara awaits concrete steps from Washington that would signal a definitive shift in its status within the programme.