The US is poised to supply Saudi Arabia with its most advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets, a move that analysts say reflects a new era of Middle East policy in which countering Chinese influence is fast becoming as important for Washington as maintaining Israeli military superiority.
It would make Saudi Arabia only the second country in the region, after Israel, to operate the fifth-generation jet.
US President Donald Trump announced the decision following a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s visiting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last week. Yet Israel has so far played down the implications, even after Trump’s confirmation that Riyadh would receive the same advanced F-35 variant currently operated by the Israeli Air Force.
Saudi Arabia “is a great ally, and Israel’s a great ally, and I know they’d [Israel] like you to get planes of reduced calibre. I don’t think that makes you too happy”, Trump said, addressing Salman.
“We‘re looking at that exactly right now, but as far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at the level where they should get top of the line.”
Trump’s remarks appeared to run counter to the Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008, which obliges Washington to ensure that any arms sale in the Middle East does not erode Israel’s military edge over its neighbours.
