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- Israel-UAE normalization will allow US to sell F-35 jets to Abu Dhabi: report
Israel-UAE normalization will allow US to sell F-35 jets to Abu Dhabi: report
Agreement said to include secret clause that will allow UAE to procure advanced fighter jets for its airforce
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Normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates would allow the US to sell state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets to the Gulf kingdom, the Ynet reported Tuesday.
According to the website, the arrangement comes as part of a secret clause in the deal that was brokered by the United States.
F-35 is an advanced fifth-generation multipurpose stealth fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
Israel procured its first two F-35 jets in 2016 and has reportedly been using the aircraft in some of the strikes in Syria, becoming the first nation to deploy the jets in combat.
As of today, the Jewish state is also the only Middle East nation to have the jet in its airforce, with Turkey booted out of the F-35 program in 2019.
In a bid to maintain its aerial superiority, Israel reportedly earlier asked the US to not sell the jet to other regional nations.
In Tuesday's statement, the prime minister's office denied that there were any arrangements like this in the deal and cited the US as confirming its commitment to maintaining Israel's military edge.
On Monday, Israeli F-35 jets landed in Germany to take part in a major two-week drill with the Luftwaffe.
The exercise, dubbed Blue Wings 2020, is set to be the only international maneuver abroad that the Israeli military will take part in this year.