WASHINGTON, November 18. /TASS/. Israel is likely to demand that the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets Washington plans to sell to Saudi Arabia not be stationed at Saudi air bases in the western regions closest to Israeli territory, Axios portal reported, citing Israeli government sources.
"It takes minutes for an F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel," a source said.
Israel is the only country in the region that currently operates F-35 fighter jets. The sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia would alter the military balance in the region and affect Israel’s qualitative military edge, Axios said.
It added that Israel is not opposed to the sale, but it should be accompanied by normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state.
On November 18, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud will visit Washington for the first time since 2018. Bloomberg reported that Riyadh seeks security guarantees similar to those the United States provided to Qatar - Washington would consider any armed attack against Qatar’s territory, sovereignty, or key infrastructure a threat to US peace and security. The American media also reported that Saudi Arabia intends to negotiate the purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
A diplomatic source in Riyadh told TASS earlier that Trump and MBS are also expected to discuss normalizing the kingdom’s relations with Israel and its accession to the Abraham Accords, although recognition of a Palestinian state remains a key condition for Saudi Arabia. Since the kingdom sees no willingness to make concessions on the issue of recognizing Palestine either from Israel or the US, Saudi Arabia has focused on negotiating a defense agreement with Washington.