Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted strongly to the possibility of selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, revealing that he has discussed the matter repeatedly with Donald Trump. As he told CNN, Ankara threatens regional security, “threatens Greece with war,” occupies half of Cyprus, and seeks, as he put it, “to destroy Israel.”

In particular, the Israeli prime minister said he has repeatedly told Donald Trump, and in recent days, that Turkey threatens regional stability and security, as it is not a state friendly to the United States.

On the contrary, he said, Turkey has expansionist ambitions, and he described it as a “regime tainted by Islamists” and the Muslim Brotherhood, while accusing Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of imprisoning political opponents and noting that his country has one of the highest numbers of jailed journalists.

At the same time, he noted that “on major issues, President Trump and I see things the same way,” while acknowledging, however, that there are “occasional disagreements” between them.

Referring to Iran, the Israeli prime minister said it is “too early to say what will happen,” refraining from predicting the next steps in the crisis.

“The president believes he can stop Iran’s nuclear program,” Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN, adding, however, that he himself has reservations.

During his visit to Turkey for the NATO Summit, the U.S. president announced that Washington would lift the CAATSA sanctions that had been imposed on Turkey.

“We’re going to lift the sanctions. It’s time to do that. We don’t want to impose sanctions on friends. It’s very simple. There are plenty of others we can impose sanctions on,” Trump said during his bilateral meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.

Meanwhile, when asked about the possibility of selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, Donald Trump said the issue “will be considered.”

Source: skai.gr