Netanyahu Sounds Alarm: Sending F-35s to Turkey Would Be a Catastrophic Mistake

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to President Trump Monday: Arming Turkey with America’s most advanced fighter jets would fundamentally destabilize the Middle East and betray our most reliable ally in the region.

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Netanyahu made his case directly to the American people on “Fox & Friends,” pulling no punches about the threat posed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly hostile regime. This isn’t about diplomatic niceties—it’s about hard strategic realities that will determine the balance of power for generations.

“Turkey is a great country, but it’s governed by a man who calls openly for the annihilation of Israel,” Netanyahu stated bluntly. The facts speak for themselves: Erdogan occupies half of Cyprus—a NATO country. He threatens Greece—another NATO ally. And he openly discusses conquering Jerusalem.

This is who Washington is considering rearming with the world’s most lethal aircraft.

The F-35 Question

Erdogan is arriving at this week’s NATO summit in Ankara with one clear objective: Get Turkey readmitted into the F-35 program. He’s betting that Trump’s well-documented personal rapport with him will override America’s strategic interests and bipartisan congressional opposition.

It’s a gamble that cannot pay off.

The F-35 Lightning II represents the pinnacle of American military technology—a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter that provides unmatched air superiority. Israel’s air force operates at least three dozen of these aircraft, and that technological edge has proven decisive in maintaining regional stability.

“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by America’s posture in the Middle East,” Netanyahu explained with characteristic clarity.

He’s absolutely right.

Turkey’s Track Record Speaks Volumes

Here’s what Washington seems eager to forget: Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program in 2019 for excellent reasons. Erdogan purchased Russia’s S-400 missile defense system—a move that directly threatened to compromise the F-35’s capabilities and put American technology in Moscow’s crosshairs.

That wasn’t an oversight. It was a choice.

Turkey maintains the second-largest army in NATO after the United States, yet Erdogan has systematically antagonized European allies. The centuries-old territorial disputes with Greece over the Aegean Sea have escalated under his leadership, not improved.

In 2019, Erdogan launched a major military offensive targeting Kurdish forces in northern Syria, prompting sanctions from the United States and multiple European nations. These weren’t symbolic gestures—they were consequences for actions that undermined regional security and abandoned America’s battlefield partners.

The Russia Connection

Turkey’s relationship with Moscow reveals everything you need to know about Erdogan’s true allegiances.

After shooting down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet in 2015—a defensible action against airspace violation—Erdogan later apologized to Vladimir Putin. Let that sink in. A NATO member apologized to Russia for defending its own territory.

In 2023, with Russian tanks rolling through Ukraine and the West united in opposition, Erdogan declared: “I trust Russia just as much as I trust the West.”

That’s not strategic ambiguity. That’s moral equivalence between a NATO ally and an expansionist adversary actively threatening European security.

Yes, Turkey has provided some military support to Ukraine and backed Kyiv’s NATO membership bid. But those tactical moves don’t erase the fundamental reality: Erdogan plays both sides, hedging his bets while undermining alliance cohesion. He simultaneously objects to Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO admission over harboring Kurdish activists while maintaining warm ties with the Kremlin.

This isn’t the record of a reliable partner. It’s the profile of an opportunist.

The Antisemitic Rhetoric Cannot Be Ignored

Since Hamas’s barbaric October 7, 2023, terror attack that slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, Erdogan and his regime have abandoned even the pretense of neutrality.

“His foreign minister, his number two, said that the Jewish state hasn’t a place among humanity,” Netanyahu revealed. “Basically, it has to be wiped out. His interior minister looks forward to being the governor of Jerusalem.”

These aren’t off-the-cuff remarks from minor officials. These are senior government leaders articulating their vision for eliminating Israel—America’s closest Middle East ally—from the map.

Netanyahu didn’t mince words about what this represents: “A regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America’ from that side of the spectrum.”

The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology has fueled jihadist movements across the region. Its influence in Turkish governance represents a clear and present danger to American interests and our allies.

The Strategic Imperative

President Trump has rightfully described Erdogan as an “extraordinary leader” and maintained personal rapport with him. That diplomatic relationship has value—Turkey’s geography and military capacity make it strategically important.

But personal relationships cannot override fundamental strategic calculations.

Israeli air superiority isn’t just about Israel’s security—it’s the cornerstone of American influence in the Middle East. Every adversary in the region, from Iran to its terrorist proxies, factors Israeli military capability into their calculations. That deterrence keeps the peace more effectively than any number of diplomatic initiatives.

Providing F-35s to a regime that openly calls for Israel’s destruction would fundamentally undermine that deterrent effect. It would embolden Iran and its proxies. It would signal to adversaries that American commitments to allies are negotiable based on personal relationships rather than strategic logic.

It would be, in short, catastrophic.

Congressional Republicans Must Act

Bipartisan opposition to Turkey’s readmission to the F-35 program exists for good reason. Republican leadership must make crystal clear that this isn’t happening—not now, not while Erdogan’s regime maintains its current trajectory.

The House and Senate have tools at their disposal. Authorization bills can include explicit prohibitions. Appropriations can restrict funding. Public statements from committee chairs can establish clear red lines before the President makes commitments that would be politically costly to reverse.

This isn’t about constraining presidential authority in foreign policy—it’s about Congress exercising its constitutional responsibility to shape defense policy and protect American interests.

The Choice Is Clear

Netanyahu’s warning deserves to be heeded. Israel has proven itself America’s most reliable Middle East partner for decades. Its intelligence sharing has thwarted terrorist attacks. Its military capability has deterred regional conflicts that would have required American intervention. Its democratic values align with ours in a neighborhood dominated by autocrats and theocrats.

Turkey under Erdogan has proven increasingly unreliable, ideologically hostile to American values, and willing to play both sides against the middle for tactical advantage.

The F-35 decision will signal which relationships America truly values. It will demonstrate whether we reward loyalty or appease troublemakers. It will show whether strategic logic or personal rapport drives American defense policy.

President Trump has consistently demonstrated his commitment to Israel and his willingness to make tough calls that previous administrations avoided. This is another opportunity to do exactly that.

Erdogan doesn’t deserve America’s most advanced military technology. He’s done nothing to earn it and everything to disqualify himself from receiving it.

The power balance in the Middle East depends on maintaining Israeli air superiority. American interests depend on that balance holding. And our credibility as an ally depends on standing with friends who stand with us.

The answer to Turkey’s F-35 request should be a clear, unambiguous, permanent no.