Netanyahu Says Trump Alliance Is Strong—But Their Disagreements Are Getting Harder to Hide

Benjamin Netanyahu went on Fox News twice in two days to insist that his relationship with Donald Trump is fine. He said the US and Israel "see eye to eye on just about everything" and called them "model allies." But the timing tells a different story.

The same day Netanyahu gave these interviews—July 6, 2026—Israeli forces struck southern Lebanon, killing four civilians, including a teacher. This matters because the US and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement just months earlier that was supposed to include Lebanon. Israel, however, has refused to stop operating there. So when Netanyahu tells Fox that the two countries manage their differences "internally," what the public sees contradicts that message.

What's Really at Stake: The F-35 Fighter Jets

Netanyahu had a specific goal with these interviews: he wants to convince Trump not to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. His argument is straightforward—giving Turkey these aircraft would weaken Israel's military advantage in the region.

The US made an informal agreement with Israel decades ago: Israel gets access to the most advanced weapons available, but other countries in the Middle East do not. This is called Israel's "qualitative military edge," and it is foundational to how Israel plans its defense. Any major weapons sale to a neighbor triggers alarm bells in Jerusalem.

Turkey was supposed to get F-35s before 2019, when the US kicked it out of the program. Why? Turkey had bought air-defense systems from Russia, and the US worried that Russian technology mixed with American fifth-generation stealth jets created a security vulnerability. Now Trump is preparing to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—and Netanyahu wants to make sure the F-35 question doesn't get resolved in Turkey's favor.

By speaking publicly before Trump's meeting with Erdogan, Netanyahu accomplishes two things: he puts Israel's position on record, and he makes it harder for Trump to reverse course later. If Trump were to approve the F-35 sale after Netanyahu's televised opposition, it would look like Trump sided against Israel—something risky for him domestically.

The Bigger Picture: Israel and Turkey Growing Apart

Erdogan struck back. On July 4, he warned that Israel's government is "war-addicted" and accused it of trying to undermine the US-Iran ceasefire deal. His language was unusually blunt for a leader speaking about an American ally.

The relationship between Israel and Turkey has deteriorated since the war in Gaza began, and tensions have only increased since the US military campaign against Iran started in February 2026. Some Israeli commentators are now openly talking about Turkey as Israel's next adversary—a shift that, if it hardens into actual policy, would reshape how power works across the entire Middle East.

The Real Problem for Washington

Here is where things get complicated for the United States. The ceasefire agreement with Iran was supposed to calm the whole region down. Israel, however, is still striking Lebanon regularly and refuses to leave. This puts the US in an awkward position: it promised to guarantee a ceasefire, but its closest ally in the Middle East is breaking it.

Netanyahu's message that differences are handled privately might have worked if the strikes weren't so visible. But they are. Everyone can see them. The other countries involved in the ceasefire—particularly Iran—are watching to see whether the US will actually enforce the deal or whether it will let Israel do what it wants. Right now, the answer looks like the latter.

When Trump arrives in Ankara to meet with Erdogan, he will face a difficult balancing act. He needs to keep the Iran ceasefire intact, manage the F-35 question, and maintain the US-Israel alliance—all at once, with Turkey increasingly skeptical of Israel and Israel increasingly convinced that Turkey is a threat. Whether he can hold all three threads together heading into the rest of the week remains an open question.