Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked US President Donald Trump to refrain from selling weapons systems that would help Turkey modernize its air force, the officials said, Axios reports.

Netanyahu conveyed the request to Trump during a phone conversation.

The US leader will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during this week's NATO summit in Ankara.

First of all, Israel is concerned about the prospect of Turkey returning to the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet program, from which the country was excluded in 2019 due to its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems.

Last week, US Vice President JD Vance said that Washington was considering various options for selling F-35s to Ankara.

Israel is opposed to the transfer of new weapons to Turkey due to the deterioration of bilateral relations, which have worsened since the start of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

Netanyahu had told Fox News that the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey would seriously change the balance of power in the Middle East.