Senior US officials are making efforts to mollify Jerusalem after US President Donald Trump’s promise to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia has shaken up US-Israeli relations, Channel 12 News reported on Thursday morning.

According to the report, the officials have reassured their Israeli counterparts that the F-35s the US plans to sell to Saudi Arabia will be less advanced than those owned by Israel in order to guarantee Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) in the Middle East, a guarantee anchored in US law in 2008.

A senior US source told Channel 12 that the White House understands Israel’s concerns, and senior officials are engaged in efforts to find a middle path that will enable a Saudi deal acceptable to Israel. It should be noted that senior Israeli officials met with top Washington officials and firmly expressed Jerusalem’s opposition to the sale before Trump’s meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince.

The source emphasized that the US will conduct further talks with Israel before the deal is finalized to ensure that the outcome is “balanced.”

“The Trump administration is committed to the US law to preserve the IDF’s qualitative edge in the Middle East,” the source said. “We won’t violate this,” he emphasized, adding that “many years will pass until the first aircraft lands in Saudi Arabia and Israel has time to negotiate with the US on balancing the deal and on security compensations the IDF will receive.”

Israel is the only country in the Middle East that currently operates the fifth-generation stealth jets. The supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia is a major threat to the regional balance of power and Israel’s superior qualitative military edge.

However, US officials are now assuring Israel that the fighter jets to be sold to Saudi Arabia will not include the advanced weapons systems and electronic warfare equipment featured on Israeli “Adir” jets.

Israel has exclusive US approval to modify its F-35s, including integrating exclusive Israeli weapons systems and adding upgrades such as radar-jamming capabilities, ensuring operational capabilities that cannot be duplicated in other countries.

F-35s are customized for each country, with the US retaining the most sophisticated versions. If it chooses to do so, the US can ensure that the software packages on jets sold to Riyadh will be inferior to those on Israeli jets.

Additionally, Israel currently operates two F-35 squadrons—with a third on order—and has eight years of experience in operating F-35s. Saudi Arabia would be limited to two squadrons, which won’t be delivered for years.

Ynet also quoted Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, as saying that Saudi Arabia is unlikely to receive the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), next-generation air-to-air missiles being developed for fifth-generation aircraft.

The JATM, with its 120-mile-plus range, is the F-35’s most sensitive missile technology and would likely be offered to Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)