After sale to Saudi Arabia and talks with Turkey, and as US-Qatar talks on F-35s are reportedly underway, Jerusalem said to be worried it will lose military edge in region
Times of Israel
Israel is increasingly concerned over renewed US discussions with Qatar regarding the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets, Channel 12 news reported Monday, as Washington weighs major arms deals across the Middle East that could affect Israel’s qualitative military edge.
According to the report, Doha has reopened a request to purchase the stealth aircraft, after a similar bid was rejected five years ago. This time, however, contacts between Qatari and US officials are said to already be underway.
Israeli officials are reportedly also closely watching parallel developments, including an emerging US-Saudi defense deal, the possibility of renewed sales to the United Arab Emirates, and even potential future sales to Turkey.
According to the report, Israel fears that a wave of advanced US arms sales in the region could erode the Israeli Air Force’s qualitative military edge. In response, Israel’s defense establishment is reportedly formulating a package of requests to the US administration, seeking to secure compensatory capabilities.
Those requests are said to include two squadrons of advanced fighter jets – one of F-35s and another of F-15I aircraft, a model tailored to Israel’s operational needs – as well as expanded access to advanced munitions and related systems.
The report noted that Israeli officials believe there is a narrow window to act before production slots are filled by other buyers.
According to the report, the issue now hinges on whether Israel’s political leadership can make swift decisions and engage in intensive talks with Washington to ensure Israel’s long-term military requirements are met given shifting US arms sales in the region.
The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.
Today, Israel is the only country in the Middle East with F-35s in its arsenal, currently operating 45 of the aircraft with another 30 units on order. Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade.
However, Trump recently announced the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, sparking worry in the Jewish state.
Qatar and Turkey, the two countries most recently linked to potential F-35 sales, both host Hamas leaders and offices and have both been vocally opposed to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Israel has accused the two countries of ‘supporting terrorism’ and even carried out airstrikes in Qatar, unsuccessfully targeting several top Hamas leaders at the terror group’s Doha offices in September.
The botched assassination attempt drew fury from the Gulf state, and led Trump to issue an executive order declaring that any armed attack on Qatar was ‘a threat to the peace and security of the United States.’
The order indicated that the US will respond harshly to any future attack on Qatar.
The US has a major airbase on Qatari territory, which was attacked by Iran earlier this year in retaliation for the American strikes on its nuclear program, and has grown closer to the US since Trump began his second term in January.