ALBAWABA - The Israeli Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that it had sealed a deal with the United States government to acquire a third squadron of twenty-five Lockheed Martin's cutting-edge F-35 stealth fighters, which would be integrated into the IOF with deliveries starting in 2028.
First deliveries of the jets are scheduled for 2028, with up to five batches delivered per year according to the $3 billion deal. The Israeli Air Force would eventually have 75 F-35s in service as a result to the additional aircrafts.
“This capability has a significant impact on arenas both near and far. At time when some of our adversaries aim to undermine our ties with our greatest ally, we only further strengthen our alliance. This sends a powerful message to our enemies across the region” commented Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Prior to Israel's invasion of heavily populated metropolitan centers in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, US President Joe Biden earlier threatened to halt certain US weaponry deliveries to Israel last month as global protests voiced against more deliveries of weapons to Israel as it continues to break war crime laws in Gaza.
As of June 4, the Israeli aggression on Gaza strip has resulted in the killing of over 36,550 Palestinians, and injury of more than 82,959, according to Gaza Ministry of Health, with at least 28 deaths caused by malnutrition as famine spreads due to blocking of humanitarian aid to the strip by the Israeli government.
