AP said U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call on the 9th local time and discussed military movements around the Persian Gulf and security issues in Türkiye.
As armed clashes between the United States and Iran intensify and the Middle East situation churns violently, the leaders of the two countries are seen as having exchanged views closely and sought ways to respond. Israel expressed strong concern over the possibility that the United States might sell next-generation weapons to Türkiye and strongly asked Washington to "ensure its national security is firmly guaranteed."
According to combined reports from major outlets including AP that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu had an in-depth conversation with President Trump by phone on the 9th about security threats from Türkiye and the situation in the Persian Gulf. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced on the social media platform X that the two leaders had spoken and said, "Netanyahu raised the seriousness of remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his associates, who oppose the very existence of the State of Israel."
Israel and Türkiye have long been locked in severe conflict over geopolitical hegemony. Prime Minister Netanyahu urged the withdrawal of any sale, saying Israel's national security could be put at risk if the U.S. government sells next-generation fighter jets to Türkiye.
Earlier, President Trump attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara, Türkiye, and signaled he was willing to sell F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, igniting controversy. However, he drew a line by saying, "No final decision has been made yet," leaving room to reverse course. The United States had imposed a total ban on F-35 sales after Türkiye introduced Russian-made air defense missiles, but as signs of improved ties have recently emerged, Washington is reconsidering resuming arms exports. In response, Israel, which seeks to maintain overwhelming military superiority in the Middle East, has pushed back immediately and is pressing its ally the United States hard.
In the call that day, President Trump gave Prime Minister Netanyahu a detailed explanation of the latest military measures the United States is taking in the Persian Gulf area. From the 7th to the 9th, the United States carried out large-scale airstrikes for three consecutive days targeting mainland Iran and military facilities. Iran, for its part, launched missiles toward the United States and its Gulf regional allies in full-scale retaliation, putting a temporary peace agreement on the brink of complete collapse.