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Israel is pushing back on talk that the United States may revive a deal to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, relations between Israel and Turkey are not just strained—they are increasingly adversarial. To keep it short and sweet, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly condemned Israel, most recently calling it a “terror state.” In turn, Israeli officials view Turkey’s growing influence in Syria, particularly its military operations in the north, as a direct threat to Israeli air operations near Damascus and southern Syria. Despite both countries once enjoying strong diplomatic and military ties, they are now entrenched on opposite sides of several regional conflicts, especially in Syria, where they control opposing zones of influence.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, reports are continuing to emerge that President Trump is mulling the revival of a stalled deal to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey—a deal that’s been canned since 2019, when Turkey was expelled from the program over its purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system. At the time, the US argued that the S-400 posed a serious risk to the security of the F-35 platform, particularly its stealth capabilities, and risked compromising classified systems to Russian intelligence.
Israel’s reaction to the potential reinstatement has been negative. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly raised the issue multiple times in closed-door meetings and directly with US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, voicing fears that the sale would erode Israel’s longstanding air superiority in the region.
They also argue that Turkey’s access to advanced US aircraft, especially while it still operates Russian systems, would create an unpredictable and dangerous shift in the balance of power, particularly given increasing Turkish-Israeli tensions in Syrian airspace.
The concern isn’t just from Israel. US lawmakers have echoed Israel’s concerns in a formal letter sent to President Trump on May 7, 2024, urging him to block any potential F-35 sale to Turkey. The letter cited several concerns—Turkey’s continued use of the S-400, along with airspace violations over Greece and maritime tensions with Cyprus. Lawmakers also pointed to Erdoğan’s vocal support for Hamas as disqualifying.
As of now, the Trump administration has not commented on these reports.
