The Israeli ambassador to the United States stated that arms deals between the United States and Muslim countries do not undermine Israel’s military advantage and emphasized that Turkey should not receive F-35 fighters. The ambassador also added that Israel cannot accept the presence of Turkish troops in Gaza or Syria, adding: “Our request has not met with resistance from the United States; on the contrary, Washington has accepted it.”
Israeli concerns about the sale of F-35A fighters to Saudi Arabia stem from the loss of its comparative advantage in the Middle East, as well as the potential leakage of information about the aircraft to Russia and China. The issue of the F-35 is much more dramatic, as joining the F-35 club entails the sharing of information (including operational information) among participating countries, along with the manufacturer Lockheed Martin. In other words, information about the Israeli F-35I is shared with all program participants.
The IDF Joint Staff, in an official document drafted and delivered to the political leadership in recent days, stated that the sale of US F-35 fighters to the Saudis would threaten Israel’s air superiority in the Middle East and make it difficult to conduct covert missions undetected. The document was drafted by IAF specialists and delivered to Netanyahu and Katz. An IDF spokesman: “We have explained our position to the political leadership.”
US President Donald Trump, however, confirmed: “We will sell F-35 aircraft to Saudi Arabia.” A senior White House official told Reuters: “Trump tends to support the sale of F-35 aircraft to Saudi Arabia.” On November 19, President Trump approved the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, as well as 300 Abrams tanks, according to a White House report. The F-35 fighters the United States intends to sell to Saudi Arabia will be less advanced than those operated by Israel, in line with a US law that guarantees Israel’s military advantage in the region, US officials and defense experts said.
Israeli experts, however, continue to discuss the sale of the 48 F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia, as well as concerns within the Israeli security establishment about the possible loss of its comparative air advantage in the Middle East, as well as the potential risk of information leaks to China and Russia.
It is important to note that the “F-35 Club” currently includes 20 countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Romania.
Partners regularly exchange and share raw information and technical data, such as maintenance and logistics data, operational standards, malfunctions, and performance updates based on software updates (the Israeli variant of the F-35I has its own software). Sensitive intelligence is not shared regularly.
However, cooperation between F-35-operating countries requires careful consideration of who is included in this exclusive club.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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