Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Image: keystone
Jul 6, 2026, 11:56 p.mJul 6, 2026, 11:56 p.m
Shortly before the start of the two-day NATO summit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urgently warned against a fighter jet deal between the USA and Turkey. He said in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News that he does not believe that Washington should supply Ankara with F-35 fighter jets or engines for its fighter jets. “That would disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East,” Netanyahu continued. Until now, Israel and the US military have guaranteed this balance.
The media had previously reported that the government of US President Donald Trump was pushing ahead with the sale of F-110 engines to Turkey, thereby overriding resistance in the US Parliament. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is blocking such a sale. Then, in late June, he announced that the U.S. government had informed him that it would “immediately” proceed with a formal notification of a more than $700 million arms sale to Turkey.
Meeks accused the government of trying to circumvent congressional review of arms sales. The Democrat called the action “another deeply troubling example of this administration’s blatant disregard for the oversight powers of Congress.” The MP also criticized the lack of information from the US government about security concerns such as Ankara’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
The two-day NATO summit begins this Tuesday in Ankara, Turkey. According to US government circles, there are likely to be “announcements worth billions” on the sidelines of the meeting. Among other things, this could involve “purchasing high-end weapons systems from US companies,” a high-ranking government official said in advance. (sda/dpa)