Washington D.C. – Web Desk: US President Donald Trump was reportedly angered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public criticism of a proposed sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, marking a new low in relations between the two leaders .
According to an Axios report citing two White House officials, Trump was “pissed off” after Netanyahu criticized the potential sale during a Fox News interview shortly before the US president travelled to Ankara for the NATO summit on July 7-8 . One official said Trump believed Netanyahu had “no right” to publicly intervene in the proposed arms deal, while another said the remarks further aggravated already growing tensions between the two leaders .
The Dispute Over F-35s
Trump signaled during his visit to Ankara that Washington is prepared to restore defence ties with Turkey, including lifting sanctions imposed over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system and reopening discussions on F-35 fighter jets . The US removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 over the S-400 purchase .
Netanyahu had publicly urged Washington not to allow Turkey access to America’s most advanced fighter jets, arguing the sale would “change the balance of power in the Middle East” and that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has “openly called for the destruction of Israel” . He had raised the issue directly with Trump in phone calls prior to the NATO summit .
Strained Relations
The dispute over the F-35 sale is the latest sign of strain between Trump and Netanyahu. In recent months, successive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have threatened to derail peace talks between the US and Iran, with Trump reportedly using harsh language in phone calls demanding Israel halt its operations . Trump had previously told reporters he was “saving your ass. Everybody hates you now” in reference to Netanyahu .
Despite the tensions, Netanyahu has sought to downplay divisions, stating he and Trump see “eye-to-eye” on major issues and that “most of the time these things are identical” .
