Israel Warns Turkey Over F-35s: Smotrich Calls Erdogan Dangerous as NATO Summit Exposes a New Rift
Israeli officials are lobbying Washington against selling F-35s to Turkey, arguing that Erdogan’s rhetoric and regional posture make Ankara a strategic threat. The dispute could reshape NATO’s Middle East balance.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has warned that Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poses a major threat to Israel and should not receive U.S. F-35 stealth fighters. His remarks come as President Trump signals openness to restoring Turkey to the F-35 program during the NATO summit in Ankara.
This is not just another diplomatic insult. It exposes a deep strategic rift inside the U.S.-led alliance system. Turkey is a NATO member. Israel is not NATO, but it is a major U.S. security partner. Washington is now being pulled between two states it cannot easily ignore.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air-defense system. The U.S. feared that operating the S-400 alongside F-35s could expose the stealth jet’s signatures to Russian intelligence. Congress and defense officials treated the issue as a major security risk. Trump now appears willing to revisit the decision, possibly as part of a broader reset with Erdogan.
Israel is alarmed. Israeli officials argue that Turkey’s rhetoric has become increasingly hostile and that advanced U.S. aircraft could alter the regional balance. Netanyahu reportedly raised the issue directly with Trump, asking him not to provide weapons systems that would modernize Turkey’s air force in ways Israel sees as threatening.
Turkey sees the matter differently. Ankara argues that it is a NATO power with legitimate defense needs, a large industrial base and a strategic role in the Black Sea, Middle East, Caucasus and Mediterranean. Erdogan’s government wants recognition as an independent power, not a subordinate ally. F-35 access would symbolize restored status.
The U.S. dilemma is strategic. Keeping Turkey out of the F-35 program may preserve Israeli comfort and reduce technology-transfer risk. Bringing Turkey back may keep Ankara closer to NATO and reduce its incentive to deepen defense ties with Russia or China. Both choices carry costs.
The headline says Israel is trying to block F-35s for Turkey. The deeper question is whether Washington can still balance its Middle East partners when their interests increasingly collide.