Washington: Israeli Ambassador to Washington, Yehiel Leiter, announced that Tel Aviv opposes the United States selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. According to National Iraqi News Agency, Leiter stated in a press release that Turkey enjoys a strategic geographical location and that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan adopts a "hostile and confrontational" stance towards Israel. The Ambassador pointed out that Turkey is a member of NATO, possesses a large army, and is located in a vital geographical region. He further stated that arms deals between the United States and Arab countries will not harm "Israel's military superiority in the region, but Israel opposes the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and would prefer that Turkey not purchase F-35s from the United States." Fox News reported on March 21 that US President Donald Trump was open to selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey again "if the two sides reach an agreement that renders Turkey's Russian S-400 air defense system inoperable." According to F ox News, the US would need to lift sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) in order to sell the fighter jets to Turkey. It is worth noting that the US removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. However, Turkey has maintained that the S-400 system will not be integrated into NATO systems and therefore does not pose a threat to the alliance or its weapons. Ankara has also repeatedly proposed forming a committee to clarify the issue.