JERUSALEM (ISRAEL) – Israel’s intelligence minister said on Sunday Israel will not support any US sale of F-35 warplanes to Qatar. It cited a need to uphold Israeli military superiority in the region.
Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen made the comments on Israeli Army Radio that a formal request was submitted by Qatar to Washington to buy stealthy F-35 fighter jets.
Cohen said, “The answer is yes. Our security and military superiority in the region are the most significant things for us. Our region has still not turned into Switzerland.”
The Qatari request comes after an August deal between the US and the United Arab Emirates, where Washington had agreed to think of giving the Gulf state approval to buy F-35s through an agreement called the Abraham Accord.