Israel Threatens to Deactivate Turkish F-16s

An Israeli official threatens to render Turkish F-16s operationally inactive, while highlighting Greece as a critical factor in reshaping the balance of power in the region.

Shay Gal, Director of External Relations at Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), in an article in the Israeli press, directly targets Turkey and its fleet of F-16s, threatening interventions at the software and operational support level.

Gal argues that Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 program is not enough and that the next step should be to weaken the backbone of Turkish air power. "The issue is how quickly we will put the operational reliability of the Turkish F-16s out of service," he stated.

Gal claimed that the F-16s are a "privilege" given to Turkey by the West and that Greece plays a role in limiting Turkish power, challenging Turkish positions in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

He also criticized Turkey's military presence in Somalia and maritime jurisdiction agreements with Libya.