Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the opening event for the Memorial Day at the Yad LaBanim House in Jerusalem, April 20, 2026. Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/Pool via REUTERS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the Trump administration not to provide advanced American fighter aircraft or critical fighter jet components to Turkey, arguing that the move would undermine Israel’s security and threaten the military balance in the Middle East.

As President Donald Trump traveled to Turkey for a NATO summit, Netanyahu warned that Ankara should not be allowed to acquire Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters or F110 jet engines that could support Turkey’s domestic fighter aircraft program.

Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu called Turkey“a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America.’”

“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or engines for their fighter jets,” Netanyahu continued.

“Turkey is a great country, but it’s governed by a man who calls openly for the annihilation of Israel. He occupies half of Cyprus, a NATO country. He’s threatening Greece, another NATO country, and he talks openly about conquering Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said, calling attention to the rhetoric of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He also said that giving Turkey F-35s would “upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East.”

The comments underscore growing tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara, whose relations have sharply deteriorated since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Erdoğan has been one of Israel’s most vocal international critics, accusing the Israeli government of committing atrocities against Palestinians and suspending many aspects of bilateral cooperation. Israeli officials, in turn, have accused Erdoğan of emboldening Hamas and pursuing policies that threaten regional stability.

Israel has long viewed maintaining its qualitative military edge as a cornerstone of its national security strategy. Successive U.S. administrations have pledged to preserve Israel’s technological superiority over potential regional adversaries, particularly through restrictions on the sale of advanced American weapons systems.

Tensions have also intensified over Syria, where Israel and Turkey have pursued competing security objectives following the collapse of the Assad government, raising fears among Israeli officials of an expanding strategic rivalry. Against that backdrop, Israel maintains that supplying Turkey with F-35 stealth fighters or other advanced military technology would erode its long-standing qualitative military edge and strengthen a government that Jerusalem increasingly views as an adversary, while U.S. officials continue to cite Turkey’s possession of the Russian S-400 air defense system as a major obstacle to any return to the F-35 program. Turkey was removed from the multinational F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system, a move U.S. officials argued posed unacceptable security risks to the stealth aircraft’s sensitive technology. Washington has maintained that Turkey cannot rejoin the program while the Russian-made system remains in service.

Last week, in comments condemning Israel, Erdogan repudiated “the genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology called Zionism,” saying that the concept of Jewish self-determination “threatens not only me, not only our party, and not only our alliance, but everyone.”

Netanyahu’s remarks come amid reports that the Trump administration is considering easing restrictions on defense cooperation with Turkey, including the possible sale of F110 fighter engines for Ankara’s indigenous KAAN fighter program and, potentially, discussions about restoring Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program.

Israeli officials have argued that restoring Turkey’s access to advanced American fighter technology would not only erode Israel’s long-held military advantage but also strengthen a regional government that has increasingly positioned itself in opposition to Israeli security interests.

The issue has also drawn concern in Washington. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has recently urged the administration to maintain restrictions on Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program, citing both the unresolved S-400 dispute and broader regional security considerations.