Israel expects to retain its military superiority in the region despite the US decision to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a government spokesperson said Thursday, as quoted by Reuters.
Shosh Bedrosian, speaking on behalf of the Israeli government, addressed the sale publicly for the first time since President Donald Trump announced the deal earlier this week.
“The United States and Israel have a long-standing understanding, which is that Israel maintains the qualitative edge when it comes to its defense,” Bedrosian told reporters.
“That has been true yesterday, that has been true today, and the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) believes that will be true tomorrow and in the future,” she added.
Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East operating the F-35, considered one of the most advanced warplanes ever built. US law guarantees Israel a “qualitative military edge” in the region.
The US sale of the F-35s to the Saudis was part of a series of agreements signed between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their meeting in the White House this week.
Ynet reported this week that the IDF sent a professional document at the beginning of the week to the political echelon containing warnings against the American agreement to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
The document reportedly emphasizes the importance of Israel's air superiority in the Middle East, which could be significantly set back if other countries were to acquire the fighter or other advanced aircraft, due to their extraordinary capabilities, which give Israel an edge over other countries in the region.
US officials have clarified that the Saudi F-35s will not include the advanced weapons systems and electronic warfare capabilities integrated into Israel’s fleet.