The "Adir" (F-35I) fighter jet seen during the “Blue Flag”, an international aerial training exercise at the Ovda Air Force base, Southern Israel, November 11, 2019. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Defense analysts say Saudi acquisition of F-35s would fundamentally shift Middle East power dynamics.
By World Israel News Staff
Israel could lose its qualitative edge as having the most advanced air force technology in the Middle East if the Trump administration proceeds with a proposed sale of dozens of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
“If Saudi Arabia indeed joins the select club that holds the American stealth fighter, the implication is not just another advanced jet in the region; it is a change in the basis of the balance of power,” wrote Aharon Lapidot, an Israeli Air Force analyst and expert, in the Hebrew-language outlet Israel Hayom.
Lapidot emphasized that Israel is concerned “not because Saudi Arabia is an enemy state,” noting that the Gulf kingdom is “seen as a potential strategic partner.”
Still, Jerusalem believes that “the qualitative advantage is a resource that must be maintained over time, especially in a region where the balance of alliances can change in a few years, if not months.”
Last Friday, President Donald Trump said his upcoming meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would focus on Riyadh normalizing relations with Israel and the jet sale.
Numerous media reports have indicated that Jerusalem is pressuring Washington to condition the sale on Saudi Arabia’s formal recognition of the Jewish state.
“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Speaking to Axios, an Israeli official said, “Unlike the supply of F-35s to Turkey that we strongly oppose, we are less concerned about such weapons systems in Saudi Arabia if it’s part of a regional security cooperation as part of the Abraham Accords, like we have with the United Arab Emirates.”
Concerns, however, extend beyond Israel. Earlier in November, The New York Times reported that some Pentagon officials were worried about the deal due to Saudi Arabia’s close ties with China.
Those officials fear that if the sale moves forward, China could obtain critical technology from the F-35s sold to the Gulf kingdom.
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