KABUL: At least two officials from the Israeli regime have confirmed that it has requested Washington to condition the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia on the normalization of relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.
Axios news network reported Saturday night that Tel Aviv does not oppose the sale of advanced U.S.-made F-35s to Saudi Arabia but wants the deal to be conditional on the normalization of relations with the kingdom.
One of the officials mentioned that Saudi Arabia’s proximity to Israel and the presence of F-35s in Riyadh have raised concerns for Tel Aviv, especially in the absence of normalized relations.
This request from the Israeli regime comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is set to meet with Donald Trump at the White House in two days (Tuesday).
It is expected that a multi-billion-dollar deal for the sale of 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia may also be finalized during this meeting.
It remains to be seen whether this request from the Israeli regime will influence the largest arms deal between Riyadh and Washington.