Israel seeks 'compensation' from US following Saudi F-35 deal: Report

Israel planned to ask for US additional defence capabilities as "compensation" after Washington agreed to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli media. Tel Aviv will seek to purchase weapons systems that US President Donald Trump's administration had previously declined to approve, Israeli news website Walla reported on Friday. Israel’s military focus extends beyond advanced fighter jets and next-generation stealth aircraft to space-based weapons and the development and production of interceptor aircraft, the outlet said. Weapons to be demanded by Israeli officials also include "bunker-busting munitions and underground systems capable of operating deep beneath rocky mountains,” it added. The move is intended to secure a “compensation” from Washington following the F-35 deal with Riyadh, the website said. Read: US bases in Middle East suffer severe damage from Iranian attacks: report On Thursday, the US State Department approved a possible $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. The package also includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, along with cryptographic equipment, electronic warfare support, training and logistics packages, according to a notification sent to the US Congress. If completed, the deal would make Saudi Arabia the first Arab country to acquire F-35 fighter jets, while Israel is currently the only operator of the aircraft in the Middle East. Israeli officials have repeatedly criticised Saudi Arabia over its refusal to normalise relations with Tel Aviv before the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, a condition which the international community supports while Israel continues to reject.