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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel has made both open and behind-the-scenes efforts to prevent the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a "positive approach" toward Ankara's return to the program.
Speaking to the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Smotrich said Israel opposes the delivery of F-35s to Türkiye and is working to prevent it.
He stated that Israel has held intensive discussions with Trump and has worked "very hard both openly and behind the scenes" to block the transaction, adding, "Erdogan must not be allowed access to weapons that would change the rules of the game."
Smotrich also alleged that "Erdogan is a very dangerous man" and asserted that "Türkiye, in its current state, is a very significant threat to Israel."
According to Ynet, which cited Israeli officials, Israel is urging the United States to block the F-35 sale outright or, failing that, to provide Ankara with downgraded versions of the aircraft.
The outlet reported that members of Israel's Security Cabinet were briefed Tuesday night on the emerging deal between Washington and Ankara, with Israel assessing that the sale can still be prevented despite signals from Trump that he may agree to it.
"This is not a zero-or-one game," the official said, adding, "Trump can still present demands as a condition for receiving the aircraft."
A separate Israeli security official told an Israeli media outlet that selling advanced stealth fighters to Türkiye would be "very bad," though not a disaster. The official remarked, "Who knows who will come after Erdogan? They are only escalating, and in the Middle East there is no vacuum. Iran has fallen, a new power will rise, and Türkiye wants to be that power."
The official stated that Israel does not expect Turkish F-35s to harm the Israeli military's freedom of action but noted they "will challenge us," reaffirming that Israel remains intensely focused on preventing the sale.
When asked about the possibility of a military confrontation between Israel and Türkiye, Smotrich replied: "I don't want to make headlines right now. We are preparing for every scenario. We understand there is a threat here, and we cannot allow such a regime to threaten Israel's existence, just as we have not allowed and will not allow the Iranian regime to do so."
President Erdogan stated that Donald Trump has adopted a "positive approach" regarding the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, expressing optimism that Ankara would eventually receive the fifth-generation aircraft. "Mr. Trump actually has a positive approach toward Türkiye on the F-35 issue. Hopefully, when the F-35s are delivered to Türkiye, the whole world will say, 'America kept its promise,'" Erdogan remarked.
Responding to a question about U.S. sanctions, Erdogan noted that Washington is no longer actively enforcing punitive measures against Türkiye.
"At the moment, the United States is not applying any sanctions against us. To a large extent, they have been lifted," he explained, adding that senior Turkish officials, including the defense minister, foreign minister, chief of the general staff, and vice president, had firsthand knowledge that the restrictions were no longer active.
Türkiye was originally suspended from the F-35 program in 2019 during Trump's first term after Washington objected to Ankara's purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system, arguing that the Russian hardware could compromise the stealth jet's technology.
Ankara has repeatedly maintained that there is no technical conflict between the two systems, even proposing a joint commission to study the issue. The Turkish government continues to argue that its suspension violated established program rules and that the acquisition of the jets would ultimately strengthen NATO as a whole.
Asked about statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis opposing Türkiye's return to the F-35 program, Erdogan said, "Neither statement has a place in my world. Everyone knows what waters Netanyahu is swimming in. Mitsotakis should not have fallen into such an error."
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Netanyahu gave a series of interviews to U.S. outlets, including Fox News, CNN and Newsmax, seeking to persuade the American public that Türkiye's return to the F-35 program would be a mistake.
"I think this is a mistake," Netanyahu stated regarding the supply of F-35s to Türkiye.
He alleged that Türkiye threatens Greece and has called for Israel's destruction, adding, "Türkiye having weapons like the F-35 would, in my view, significantly destabilize the region's stability."
Netanyahu noted that his relationship with Trump remains strong, characterizing the F-35 dispute as "a disagreement between two friends."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has also publicly opposed the sale, arguing that the United States must preserve Israel's "qualitative military edge" in the region.
Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, President Trump stated on Tuesday that Washington intends to lift the sanctions imposed on Türkiye under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
"We're going to be taking the sanctions off. It's time to do that... We don't want to sanction friends. It's very simple," Trump told reporters before closed-door discussions with Erdogan. He added that he is collaborating with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to finalize the directive.
The White House has not yet specified a timeline for when the measures will be formally dismantled. Permanently repealing CAATSA, a 2017 federal law, would require congressional action.
When questioned about restoring F-35 fighter jet sales to Türkiye, Trump noted he would "certainly consider" the move, describing Türkiye as "much more loyal than other countries" and praising the F-35 as "the best plane by far." He additionally dismissed lingering anxieties over Ankara's S-400 purchase, asserting that U.S.-Türkiye relations are "better, probably than it's ever been."
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the summit, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, indicated that Türkiye's reinstatement into the F-35 program could progress if a viable solution is reached to address the S-400 concerns.
"We still have questions to answer with respect to what's being proposed, and we haven't gotten those answers. So we will wait and see what happens," she remarked, noting that Congress views the strategic relationship with Türkiye favorably, given its foundational role in NATO.
Senator Mike Rounds echoed this sentiment, stating that bolstering Turkish military capabilities, including access to the F-35, would directly benefit the alliance. "Anything we can do to provide them with the resources to be an even stronger adversary with regard to incursions by Russia in Europe, the better off we all are. One of those is to have that tool of the F-35," he explained, pointing out that Türkiye was originally chosen as a key manufacturing participant in the aircraft's development.
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