Reuters quoted Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz as saying that "the US sale of the F-35 aircraft to Qatar is possible, despite Israel's objection to this deal because of what it says is Qatar's relations with Iran and Hamas."
She added that the Israeli minister confirmed that if Qatar showed a desire to buy this plane and was ready to pay for it, it would get it sooner or later.
He explained that this is a possibility that Israel should take into account because the United States is ultimately looking at its interests, especially in light of competition with other aircraft from Russia and China.
Reuters reported on October 7 that Qatar had submitted a formal request to purchase the F-35 aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin, which only Israel has obtained in the region so far.
Israel, with which Washington is consulting about such sales, said the deal would be contested.
Later, a Steinitz spokesman confirmed that the Israeli position would not change, telling Reuters that Israel would request "adequate compensation" if such a deal went ahead, apparently referring to US defense aid.
US officials are ready to sell the F-35 to the UAE after it and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel on September 15th, but they remain silent about Qatar’s request to purchase the plane.
The successive US administrations worked to maintain the Israeli military superiority in the region. Nevertheless, Steinitz pointed out that sales of advanced US weapons to Arab countries took place in the past, despite Israeli objections.