Netanyahu, Trump and Mohammed bin Salman

US President Donald Trump has approved the sale of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft, F-35, to Saudi Arabia. This announcement has come when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived on American tour on Monday.

With this announcement by President Donald Trump, the turmoil in Middle East politics has intensified. The most tension is visible in Israel, which till now was the only country in this region which has these stealth fighter jets. The question arises, why is Israel so restless after Saudi gets F-35?

What is this F-35? understand in simple language

F-35 is not a common fighter plane. It is counted among the most advanced and high tech jets in the world. American company Lockheed Martin is the manufacturer of this jet. This fighter jet made in America is such a stealth warrior that enemy radars cannot detect it. That means it becomes almost invisible while flying in the air. The top speed of F-35 is Mach 1.6. The stealth technology installed in it hides it from the eyes of the enemy.

Its radar, targeting system and sensors are considered to be the most advanced in the world. It not only fights, but can do many tasks simultaneously like spying, surveillance and target tracking. The cost of an F-35 is around 100 million dollars i.e. thousands of crores of rupees. For this reason, this jet is available only to very select countries.

Why is Israel in tension due to this?

Till now only Israel had F-35 in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has wanted to get this for many years, and after Trump’s statement, it seems that approval may now be granted. Israel’s fear is that if Saudi also gets this superjet, then its sovereignty of the skies may be in danger. America had also made it a law in 2008 that any arms deal should not harm Israel’s military advantage.

Now Israel’s security establishments have been shocked by the announcement of selling F-35 to Saudi. The Israeli Air Force has actually submitted a formal objection letter to the government. Another big fear of Israel is that F-35s flying from Saudi’s western military bases can reach Israel’s border within minutes. For this reason, Israel is going to demand that if F-35s are given to Saudi, they should not be deployed on the western airbases of the country.

Israel’s condition: first improve relations, then take weapons

Israeli officials have clearly told the Trump administration that the F-35 deal should proceed only when Saudi is ready to normalize relations with Israel. His argument is that if such a huge military capability is being given to Saudi, then there should be some political benefit in return. But Trump did not add any such normalization condition in his statement. This thing is troubling Israel further.

Is there really such a big danger?

Experts say that at present Saudi Arabia’s defense infrastructure and technical capability is not equal to Israel. Israel has 45 F-35. And 30 more are to come. Even if Saudi gets the order today, the first delivery will take at least 7 years. But Israel’s concern is not just for today. There is concern about the balance of power in his future.