Israel approves buying 25 new F-35 stealth fighter jets

It is the only Middle East nation with the advanced stealth fighter, which has been used in air raids against Syria

Israel has approved buying a third squadron of advanced F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin, in a $3 billion deal. AFP

Israel has approved buying a third squadron of advanced F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin in a $3 billion deal, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

Israel is the only Middle East nation with F-35s, the world's most advanced fighter, which has stealth capability and can be used to gather intelligence, strike deep into enemy territory and engage in air duels.

The deal to buy 25 F-35 jets, expected to be signed in coming months, will expand the country's fleet of the aircraft to 75, the ministry said.

It will be financed through US military aid funds received by Israel.

"This new agreement will ensure the continuation of co-operation between American companies and Israeli defence industries in the production of aircraft parts," the ministry said.

In May 2018, Israel's military said it had become the first country to use F-35s in combat.

The country has launched hundreds of air raids on Syrian territory during that nation's years of war, mainly against Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions.

On Sunday, hours before Israel announced the F-35 plan, it said it had struck an anti-aircraft battery in Syria in response to an anti-aircraft rocket fired from Syria into Israeli territory.

It said Israeli jets had also "struck additional targets in the area", and that no injuries were reported from the Syrian missile.