With President Donald Trump reportedly weighing the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that such a move could undermine Israel's qualitative military edge in the region.

Ties between Washington and Ankara appear to be warming since Trump took office in January. The U.S. president has held multiple phone calls with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since entering the Oval Office, reportedly discussing the potential resumption of F-35 jet sales to the NATO member.

The sales were suspended after Turkey acquired Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.

According to Forbes, the two leaders discussed the resumption of sales in a phone call March 16. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also reportedly raised the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting in late March.

While visiting Saudi Arabia this week, Trump said he might adjust his itinerary for his Middle East trip to include a visit to Turkey, calling President Erdoğan "a great host."

The diplomatic ties between Trump and Erdoğan concern Israeli officials, who see Turkey's irredentist policies as a strategic threat to Israel, especially in Syria. Israel and Turkey have conducted a series of negotiations in Azerbaijan aimed at reducing tensions between them, especially in Syria, however, there has been little progress so far.

Turkey has been increasingly positioning itself as a rival to Israel, with Erdoğan openly calling for Israel's destruction and even urging Muslim nations to form a coalition against the Jewish state.

Notably, on March 30, Erdoğan declared, "May Allah destroy Zionist Israel in his holy name," during a political rally.

Over the last decade, Turkey has taken more aggressive action in Syria, playing a key role in the fall of the Assad regime in December through its support for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist rebel group, which eventually replaced Assad.

Turkey has continued to support HTS leader, now interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and has increased military ties and cooperation with the new Syrian government, attempting to gain a strategic foothold in the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday that Israel firmly opposes the sale of the F-35 to Turkey.

He stated that Israel has conveyed its opposition to the U.S., with Middle East Eye reporting that Netanyahu has repeatedly raised the issue with Rubio. According to Army Radio, Netanyahu allegedly believes the sale could proceed despite Israel's concerns.

Israel views any scenario in which the Turkish Air Force is equipped with the same advanced fighter jets as the Israeli Air Force as a serious threat to the longstanding U.S.-Israeli doctrine ensuring Israel's qualitative military edge (QME) over regional rivals.

Israel is not the only nation to express concern over the resumption of F-35 sales to Turkey.

Greece, another NATO member that has often clashed with Turkey, also expressed opposition.

Last week, a bipartisan group of 22 U.S. Members of Congress sent a letter to Trump ahead of his upcoming meeting with Erdoğan, urging the U.S. president "to bring up various topics of concern to us in a forthcoming meeting with the Turkish President."

The "topics of concern" included Turkey's desire to acquire the F-35 jet, the territorial integrity of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus in the face of Turkish expansionism, Erdoğan's support for Islamist terror groups, like HTS and Hamas, and issue of human rights in Turkey following his arrest of political opponents.

The congressional representatives warned: "Turkey has adopted policies that support NATO adversaries like Russia." The members concluded: "Erdoğan, however, has shown that his personal and political agenda does not align with U.S. interests and values."

Israeli officials are also concerned by reports that Trump may include F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia as part of a broader defense pact under negotiation with the Kingdom. However, there is less concern about a direct confrontation with Saudi Arabia.

This AllIsrael.com report was published on Newsmax with permission from All Israel News.