“This sends a powerful message to our enemies across the region.”
Jerusalem:
Israel said on Tuesday it had signed a $3 billion deal to buy a third squadron of 25 F-35 advanced stealth fighters made by Lockheed Martin, with delivery to begin in 2028.
“At a time when some of our adversaries seek to undermine our ties with our greatest ally, we only strengthen our alliance further,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement announcing the agreement.
“This sends a powerful message to our enemies across the region.”
The Defense Ministry said the deal would bring the number of F-35s in Israel’s fleet to 75.
“Delivery of aircraft to the IDF (army) will begin in 2028 at a rate of three to five aircraft per year,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israel is the only nation in the Middle East with F-35, the most advanced fighter in the world, with stealth capabilities and which can be used to gather intelligence, attack deep into enemy territory and participate in aerial duels.
In May 2018, Israel’s military said it had become the first country to use F-35s in combat.
Even before the war with Hamas broke out on October 7, Israel had launched hundreds of attacks on Syrian territory during that country’s years of war, mainly targeting Iranian-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian positions. Syrian army.
In April, Iran carried out its first direct attack on Israel, using more than 300 drones and missiles, as the war with Hamas in Gaza intensified.
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