The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 48 advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, valued at approximately $24.3 billion.

Reuters news agency reported on Friday September 18, the 27th of Sunbula, that Saudi Arabia had submitted its request to purchase these fighter jets directly to Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in 2025.

According to the Reuters report, the Saudi Embassy in Washington has welcomed the decision and described it as a step toward strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.

Reuters reported that the implementation of this deal could bring about a significant change in US arms policy in the Middle East and would also subject the issue of maintaining Israel’s “Qualitative Military Edge” to a new test.

This comes as Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East that possesses F-35 fighter jets. In selling advanced weapons to countries in the region, Washington places maintaining Israel’s military superiority as one of its main considerations.

It is worth noting that the sale of these fighter jets requires review by the US Congress, and some lawmakers, especially after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, have expressed concern about expanding Washington’s military cooperation with Riyadh.