Israeli F35 / Envato Market
by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the United States has reaffirmed its pledge to preserve Israel’s strategic edge in the Middle East, even as President Donald Trump advances a controversial sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally assured him that longstanding U.S. law protecting Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) would remain intact and would restrict what Saudi Arabia can receive.
“They didn’t ask us before the sale of the F-35, but once it happened, I spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and made sure of it,” Netanyahu told the Israeli outlet Abu Ali Express. He added that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “did not get everything he wanted from Trump.”
The remarks come at a sensitive moment as Washington expands defense ties with Riyadh while Israeli officials warn that advanced aircraft sales to Arab states risk eroding Israel’s operational dominance. Israel has formally objected to the Saudi sale and previously resisted similar transfers to the UAE and Turkey.
Netanyahu said the likelihood of the U.S. approving F-35 transfers to Turkey was only “remote,” if it existed at all. “Our position regarding Saudi Arabia and the F-35… would be that stance multiplied on steroids when it comes to selling F-35s to Turkey,” he added.
Rubio’s assurances contradict Trump’s openness
Netanyahu’s comments directly contradict President Trump, who suggested earlier in the week that Saudi Arabia and Israel might both receive “top-of-the-line” versions of the stealth aircraft.
“You are asking me, is it the same? I think it’s going to be pretty similar,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with MBS on Monday.
Trump also referenced lobbying efforts within Israel to pressure the administration to supply Saudi Arabia with downgraded systems.
A decades-long QME framework
Since the 1970s, U.S. policy has required that any arms sales to Arab states be structured so Israel maintains clear technological superiority. In 2008, Congress codified this into law, requiring regular reviews of U.S. defense exports to ensure Israel keeps its military edge.
Arab states have historically received modified versions of U.S. systems–such as downgraded radars on Saudi F-15s in the 1990s–to maintain this balance. The F-35 can also be downgraded through customized radar, electronic warfare, and stealth packages.
Israel, meanwhile, enjoys unparalleled access to modify its variant, the F-35I Adir. Israeli engineers added extended-range fuel capabilities that enabled the aircraft to fly long-distance missions–including Israel’s recent surprise strike on Iran in June–without sacrificing stealth.
Saudi outreach doesn’t mean Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu says
The F-35 dispute unfolded during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington on Tuesday, where he expressed interest in building ties with Israel and reiterated support for a two-state solution.
Netanyahu welcomed the shift but dismissed any suggestion that warming ties would advance Palestinian statehood. “There won’t be a Palestinian state,” he told Abu Ali Express, adding he remained “cautiously optimistic” about normalization with Riyadh.
Congress to weigh the deal
Congress must still review any F-35 transfer to Saudi Arabia. Lawmakers in both parties have signaled they will scrutinize the sale closely, particularly given Israel’s warnings that the move risks undermining the region’s security balance.
The debate underscores a broader challenge in U.S. Middle East strategy: deepening defense cooperation with Arab partners while ensuring Israel retains its legally mandated technological edge–an issue central to Israel’s deterrence posture against Iran.
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