Israel seeks 'compensation' from US following Saudi F-35 deal

Israeli officials plan to request additional advanced defense capabilities from the United States as "compensation" following Washington's approval of a $24.3 billion F-35 fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia, the Israeli news website Walla reported on Friday. Tel Aviv will seek to purchase weapons systems that the Trump administration had previously declined to approve, including space-based weapons and next-generation stealth aircraft, the outlet said. Weapons to be demanded by Israeli officials also include "bunker-busting munitions and underground systems capable of operating deep beneath rocky mountains," it added.

F-35 sale to Riyadh

The US State Department on Thursday approved the possible $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia along with 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, cryptographic equipment, electronic warfare support, and training logistics packages, according to a notification sent to Congress. If completed, the deal would make Saudi Arabia the first Arab country to acquire F-35 fighter jets, while Israel is currently the only operator of the aircraft in the Middle East.

Normalization conditions

Israeli officials have repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia over its refusal to normalize relations with Tel Aviv before the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. The international community supports this condition while Israel continues to reject it, sources noted.