UAE military delegates visited Israel over F-35 fighter jets: Report

A military delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly visited the Israeli-occupied territories for talks with the regime’s air force on the “performance” of advanced US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets.

Citing an unnamed official source as saying on Wednesday, Israeli i24 news channel said that an American delegation was also present at the time of the UAE visit, without giving any date.

Abu Dhabi has yet to confirm the reported visit to the occupied territories.

The visit comes as the UAE “seeks to purchase its own fleet of F-35 fighter jets,” the report added.

The US has sold the warplanes to a range of allies, including South Korea, Japan, and Israel, but experts say sales to the Persian Gulf Arab states require a deeper review due to US policy for Israel to maintain a qualitative military edge in the Middle East.

Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi have no diplomatic ties and the UAE does not recognize Israel but the two sides have increased backchannel cooperation in recent years.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp, the F-35 is also known as the Joint Strike Fighter and, in Israel, by its Hebrew name “Adir” (Mighty).

Israel was the first regime outside the US to obtain the fighter jet. In December 2016, it received the first two planes out of an order of 50. Tel Aviv has at least nine so far.

In May, Israel’s military said it had used the stealth fighters in combat operations, claiming that the fighter jets have been twice used in the Middle East.

PressTV-Israel claims it has used US-made F-35s ‘in attack mode’

Tel Aviv claims it has become the first regime to use the US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets in offensive strikes.

Israeli air force chief Amikam Norkin said at the time that “We are the first to attack using the F-35 in the Middle East and have already attacked twice on different fronts.” 

The Israeli regime has a history of military aggression in the region.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has launched sporadic attacks against various targets on Syrian soil.

The Israeli military also frequently bombs the besieged Gaza Strip, with civilians being the main target of such attacks.

The UAE is also serving as the key member of a Saudi-led military alliance, which has been engaged in a bloody military campaign against Yemen since 2015.

Meanwhile, Abdu Dhabi, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egyptian, has also been involved in an unprecedented diplomatic dispute with Qatar over the past year.

The quartet cut ties with Qatar last June and slapped the country with an all-out embargo over what they call Doha’s support for terror, an allegation strongly rejected by Qatar.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia even planned once to launch a military attack against their ally-turned-foe, according to reports.

The Emirates and Saudi Arabia also view the regime in Tel Aviv as a potential partner in an alliance against Iran.

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