F-35 stealth fighter jet (archives)
Photo courtesy of Defense Ministry
Syria: Sale of stealth fighters to Israel security risk
FM Moallem says Israel's purchase of F-35 jets from US outweighs settlement freeze issue
A couple of days after Israel signed a $2.75 billion deal for the purchase of F-35 stealth fighter jets from the US, Syria said the agreement poses a threat to security in the Middle East.
"We were told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to announce a settlement construction freeze for an additional two months in exchange for a guarantee that the issue will not come up again and advanced weapons. Now the issue is not the settlement freeze, but the threat on the region's Arab countries," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem saod Saturday.
The agreement was signed after a number of years of contacts between Israel's defense establishment and the US Defense Department, and after agreements were reached about price, the integration of Israeli industries in the production process of all F-35 planes, and the integration of Israeli capabilities in the aircraft Israel will purchase.
According to the agreement, Israel will receive the first aircraft between 2015 and 2017 at a price of $96 million per plane, together with simulators and spare parts, at a total price of $2.75 billion.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
