The US Department of State has approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia, it said on Thursday as the kingdom has been drawn deeper into the Middle East war.
Personnel work on U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jets parked on the tarmac at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, January 3, 2026. ReutersEva Marie Uzcategui
The US Department of State has approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia, it said on Thursday as the kingdom has been drawn deeper into the Middle East war.
The estimated $24.3 billion sale would include 48 of the military aircraft and 49 Pratt & Whitney engines along with communications equipment, spare parts and other support items, the department said.
"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region," it said in a notice posted online.
Reporting by Ismail Shakil
China has privately asked Tehran to help rein in Yemen's Houthis after an appeal to Beijing by Saudi Arabia following the Iran-backed group's military blitz in the past week, according to three Iranian sources familiar with the matter.
Yemenis took to boats in the Red Sea to escape fighting between Iran-backed Houthi fighters and Saudi-backed forces, as the spreading Middle East war created new threats to global oil supplies.
The Houthi capture of ground overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has dealt Saudi Arabia its gravest setback in Yemen in years, exposing intelligence failures, the collapse of Yemeni allies and the limits of U.S. protection.
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