Yedioth Ahronoth: Israel informed Washington of its opposition to the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye

Israel has informed the United States of its objection to the sale to Türkiye of the advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets, which it possesses only in the Tel Aviv region.

The Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that senior Israeli officials confirmed that Israel sent letters to the Trump administration opposing the potential sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Türkiye, citing concerns about a potential decline in Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region.

Yedioth Ahronoth added, “These Israeli concerns come amid growing frustration with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel… In recent months, Erdogan has escalated his verbal attacks, most recently declaring, “May God destroy Zionist Israel,” describing it as a “terrorist state”.

Yedioth Ahronoth continued, “Under former President Joe Biden, the United States sharply criticized Türkiye, going so far as to block the sale of F-35 aircraft… But the Trump administration is reportedly reconsidering the deal, raising concerns in Israel, especially in light of the broader US consideration of selling the advanced aircraft to other countries in the Middle East”.

The Israeli newspaper noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue during a recent briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, emphasizing Israel’s opposition and ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent the deal.

Yedioth Ahronoth added, “The committee members came away with the impression that the sale process was almost completed”.

Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that the United States appears ready to sell F-35 aircraft to Türkiye.

Israel is concerned about the close relationship between Trump and Erdogan, as during a joint press conference held last month at the White House, US President Donald Trump expressed his admiration for Erdogan, saying, ‘I like him, and he likes me’ I told the prime minister, Bibi (Netanyahu), if you have a problem with Türkiye, I will help you solve it”.

“Despite these assurances, Israeli officials say they see no American effort to curb Ankara’s hostility, even as Washington maintains close ties with Erdogan’s government,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.

Yedioth Ahronoth added, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks regularly with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Trump has maintained direct contact with Erdogan”.

On March 21, Fox News reported, citing two informed sources, that President Trump was open to selling Türkiye F-35 fighter jets again, “if the two sides reached an agreement that would render Türkiye’s Russian-made S-400 system inoperable”ю

The US president’s position came after his phone call with President Erdogan on March 16.

According to Fox News, the United States needs to lift sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) in order to sell the fighter jet to Türkiye.

Trump asked his team to conduct a study on ways to spare Türkiye the sanctions imposed by the CAATSA Act, which he signed and which entered into force on August 2, 2017.