Intel: Israel still opposes any potential US sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to UAE
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday denied reports that his government’s historic agreement with the United Arab Emirates included a potential US sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to the UAE in exchange for the Gulf country’s recognition of the Jewish state.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday denied reports that his government’s historic agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) included a potential US sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to the UAE in exchange for the Gulf country’s recognition of the Jewish state.
“Israel did not change its consistent positions against the sale to any country in the Middle East of weapons and defense technologies that could tip the balance” of military power in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.
Netanyahu’s statement came amid rumors that a “secret clause” in the agreement allowed the UAE to purchase the advanced fighter jet, which only Israel possesses in the region as part of a US policy favoring Israel’s military superiority in the region.
The prime minister’s office firmly shot down the claim Tuesday, saying he and Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer repeatedly made clear to US officials their opposition to the sale of F-35s to other Middle Eastern countries in recent months.
