F-35

Though the UAE and Saudi Arabia dropped their interest in F-35s after US legislation imposed limits on the aircraft, Israeli defense officials worry that Turkey won't be affected the same way.

Complaining of the alleged anti-Ankara rhetoric coming from Jerusalem, Fidan directed criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and select members of the opposition.

President Donald Trump said he would lift sanctions on Turkey after the US Congress passed legislation requiring Turkey to give up the Russian S-400 defense system in exchange for F-35s.

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Netanyahu’s campaign against selling F-35s to Ankara reflects a growing conviction in Jerusalem that Turkey is shaping up to be Israel’s principal long-term challenge.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece "would not welcome" Turkey receiving either F-35 fighter jets or engines for its next-generation Turkish "Kaan" combat aircraft.

The debate over the F-35 goes beyond the aircraft themselves. It concerns how the United States balances its relations with its two important allies in the eastern Mediterranean.

While Trump dangles sanctions relief and fighter jets in Ankara, the more revealing story about what Turkey does with advanced military technology is already unfolding on Libya's coast

Israel watches Turkey’s rise with concern as F-35 talks, Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Iran’s uranium stockpile reshape the regional threat map.

The deal would depend on US President Donald Trump reversing the ban on Ankara's purchase of the latest-generation American fighter jets, the report noted. 

In Trump’s view, Turkey may help stabilize the region, curb Russian influence and keep Ankara within the Western camp. Israel, however, cannot regard it as a normal Western ally.