US President Donald Trump has bristled at Israeli opposition to the potential sale of American stealth technology fighter jets to Turkey, reports said Monday.
Speaking to journalists on his Air Force One plane, Trump commented on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks by saying: “Nobody tells me what we should be selling.”
Earlier, Netanyahu had repeatedly urged Washington not to comply with Ankara’s requests to buy the F-35 warplanes, or even US engines for a planned Turkish-manufactured fighter jet. The Israeli leader had argued that this would upset the regional balance of power to his country’s detriment, among tension with Turkey.
During this month’s NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said he would definitely look into the sale of F-35s to Turkey – a prospect which has also caused concern in Athens.
In his latest remarks on Air Force One, Trump said: “Turkey’s not a big fan of Israel, not a great fan of Bibi [Netanyahu]. But they’ve been great for me.”
