Benjamin Netanyahu has complained to Donald Trump about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasing anti-Israel rhetoric, Israeli and American officials confirmed to Axios.
According to the same sources, the Israeli prime minister asked Trump, in a phone call on Friday, to avoid selling weapons systems that would help Turkey modernize its air force.
Axios reports that Netanyahu complained to Trump about Erdogan and indicated that he wanted the US president to restrain the Turkish leader.
"Netanyahu made a request and the president listened. So the president can convey a message to [Erdogan] like, 'Can you take this a little easier?' That's how it is," said a US official.
Trump and Erdogan will meet during the NATO Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in Ankara.
Axios notes that amid tensions between Israel and Turkey over the past two years, Trump has maintained close relations with both leaders. However, Axios adds, Netanyahu's position in Washington has weakened in recent months due to the war with Iran.
It is not clear how much influence Netanyahu still has, both because of Trump's close relationship with Erdogan and because of the economic benefits of US arms sales to Turkey. ©LAPSI.al
