F-35

A Pentagon report also warns of the risk that China could acquire the advanced fighter jet technology through espionage or its security partnership with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi negotiators push for a Senate-approved pact with Washington while insisting that any path to normalization with Israel depends on concrete steps toward a Palestinian state.

The UK Court of Appeal ruled that the export of F-35 components was a matter of national security for which the government, not an NGO, was responsible.

Al-Haq, a Ramallah-based Palestinian human rights organization, and nine other advocacy groups urged the Dutch government to cease exporting goods and weapons to Israel.

The Trump administration might sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia without Riyadh agreeing to recognise Jerusalem, in a move that could shake up the Middle East.

Until now, Israel remains the only Middle Eastern country to operate F-35s, but Saudi Arabia is the largest customer for US arms sales.

Trump also said he could lift sanctions against Turkey "very soon," and that "if we have a good meeting, almost immediately."

The decades-old F-16 "Barak" aircraft managed to strike in Iran without refueling, and added significant capacity to the Israel Air Force’s strike capability.

The fighter jets used by the IAF included eight F-15s and four F-35s, with Israeli aircraft avoiding entering the airspace of surrounding Arab countries.

Seven US warships and one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine are either in the region or expected to be there soon, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines.