The F-35 Deal Redefining Power in the Middle East

9d • News

For decades, one principle defined the U.S.–Israel alliance: Israel’s qualitative military edge was sacred. Washington promised that no regional power would ever receive hardware that could challenge Israel’s supremacy. That commitment is now being cracked open.

The decision to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia is not just another arms deal. It is the first real breach in a security doctrine that shaped the Middle East for half a century. The F-35 is not simply a fighter jet. It is the core of Israel’s deterrence architecture, the system that guarantees freedom of action from Tehran to Damascus. And suddenly, the same platform is being handed to a rival state whose long-term intentions remain unpredictable.

This is not a symbolic shift. It is a strategic recalibration by Washington that signals Israel’s guaranteed military advantage is no longer untouchable. For the first time, the United States is treating Israel’s edge as a negotiable asset. And that change will alter the balance of power in the region.

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