Potential F-35 sale to Türkiye not raised in Trump-Netanyahu talks

WASHINGTON

This handout picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) Shows Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC, on July 28, 2026.

A potential U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye was not discussed during talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, an Israeli official said.

The July 28 meeting lasted about 80 minutes and was held behind closed doors, with no public remarks before or afterward.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described the talks as “positive and productive.”

Tzipi Hotovely, head of Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate, said Iran dominated the meeting, while the possible expansion of the Abraham Accords was also raised.

She said the two sides agreed that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and denied that Israel was pressing Washington toward military action.

Hotovely said neither Türkiye nor the potential supply of F-35 jets to Ankara came up.

Israeli intelligence concerning an alleged secret Iranian nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain was also not discussed, she added.

Netanyahu, who traveled to Washington to attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, called the meeting “one of the best conversations” he had held with Trump.

In a video released after the talks, Netanyahu said the meeting reflected close coordination, mutual support and agreement on shared objectives, particularly preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

A day earlier, Trump rejected Netanyahu’s public opposition to a potential F-35 sale to Türkiye.

“Nobody tells me what we should be selling,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, describing Türkiye as a “tremendous ally” and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a friend.

Türkiye was removed from the U.S.-led F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring Russia’s S-400 air defense system. Ankara has sought to return to the program, while Washington says the S-400 dispute must first be resolved.

Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel wanted to launch new strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure but Washington had not approved them.

He said U.S. concerns centered on possible Iranian retaliation against neighboring countries and the risk of a global oil crisis.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near the White House ahead of Netanyahu’s meeting.