Trump Dismisses Israeli Opposition to US F-35 Sale to Turkey

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public opposition to a potential U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, asserting that no foreign leader dictates American arms sales. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump praised Turkey as a "tremendous ally" and said the decision was his alone to consider.

The remarks came ahead of a scheduled meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, their first face-to-face talks since the onset of the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran. Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday, with regional security and the confrontation with Iran expected to top the bilateral agenda.

Trump's comments directly countered Netanyahu's recent public warnings. Earlier this month, following signals from Trump at a NATO summit in Turkey, Netanyahu told CNN that supplying advanced F-35s to Ankara would "destroy the power balance in the Middle East." He described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government as "a regime that's infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States" and argued the sale would lead to increased aggression. Netanyahu said he had urged...