Israel concerned as US may sell F-35s to Saudis.
The Israeli TV channel 11 (Kan) revealed in a report yesterday evening (Saturday) that Israel expressed its strong opposition to the sale of advanced US F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia.
Kan reported that Ron Dermer, the outgoing Minister of Strategic Affairs in Netanyahu’s cabinet, whose main task is to regulate the Israeli regime’s relations with the United States, has conveyed the regime’s serious position to those close to US President Donald Trump.
Dermer met with senior Trump administration officials during his trip to Washington last week before submitting his resignation to the Israeli government’s cabinet and expressed his opposition to the deal.
According to Kan, Israeli officials claim that at this stage, and before normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, negotiations for the sale of F-35 fighters to this country still have no place for Arabs and that the outcome of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next week should be awaited.
Kan continued by mentioning another concern that has arisen in Tel Aviv from this negotiation, writing that Israel is concerned that the sale of this aircraft will lead to information leaks to Russia and China, Saudi Arabia’s allies, and the loss of Israel’s comparative advantage in the skies of West Asia.
In this regard, the Zionist security media outlet “Vala News” also addressed the concerns and serious opposition of the Israeli army, reporting that the Israeli army is firmly opposed to the sale of F-35 fighters to any country in West Asia in a way that threatens Israel’s air superiority.
Security sources told Vala that the sale of these advanced fighters, which have already undergone improvement processes compared to the models sold to the Israeli army, may reduce its operational space for Israel.
According to security sources and within the army air force, messages in this regard have been conveyed to the US government before any deal with countries in the West Asia region.
These people involved in the Israeli defense establishment emphasized that the sale of the F-35 to Saudi Arabia is seen not only as a security deal, but also as a powerful tool in the foreign policy of the US government, so any change in the order of political priorities indicates a change in relations between Washington and Tel Aviv.
In a report by Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli security officials emphasized that if the US sells F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia, the freedom of flight of the Israeli Air Force throughout West Asia would be jeopardized.