America has approved the sale of 48 stealth F-35 fighter jets and related equipment to Saudi Arabia for $24.3 billion.

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday: “The proposed sale will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s defense capabilities within the country and improve operational interoperability with U.S. forces, increasing the country’s capacity to deter current and future threats.”

Donald Trump announced the initial news of the sale of these advanced fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in the fall of last year, while hosting Mohammad bin Salman at the White House.

At the time, some U.S. defense officials expressed concern about the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets—considered among the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world—to Saudi Arabia.

They told American media that they were worried the deal could give Riyadh access to sensitive technologies related to the F-35’s stealth radar capabilities and enable Saudi Arabia to provide these technologies to Beijing as part of its security cooperation with China.

📷PA