Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The Turkey that once welcomed Israeli tourists with warmth has been fundamentally transformed. Under Erdogan, successive governments have strengthened the country’s Sunni Islamic identity...

No two countries illustrate this more clearly than Turkey and Qatar, close allies that have long been associated with political support for the Muslim Brotherhood and hostility toward Israel.

According to the report, Sharaa had told Trump that "Israel refused to include the word 'withdrawal' in any agreement and halted negotiations when we raised the issue."

Though the UAE and Saudi Arabia dropped their interest in F-35s after US legislation imposed limits on the aircraft, Israeli defense officials worry that Turkey won't be affected the same way.

Complaining of the alleged anti-Ankara rhetoric coming from Jerusalem, Fidan directed criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and select members of the opposition.

Erdogan sees himself as the exiled “governor of Jerusalem” and seeks hegemony in the Middle East as the restorer of the Ottoman Empire.

Netanyahu also warned Trump against approving the F-35 deal with Turkey during the conversation.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece "would not welcome" Turkey receiving either F-35 fighter jets or engines for its next-generation Turkish "Kaan" combat aircraft.

The debate over the F-35 goes beyond the aircraft themselves. It concerns how the United States balances its relations with its two important allies in the eastern Mediterranean.

Israel watches Turkey’s rise with concern as F-35 talks, Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Iran’s uranium stockpile reshape the regional threat map.