2nd Gulf Nation Asking for US War Planes

Qatar has filed a formal request to purchase stealth F-35 fighter jets from the United States, Reuters reported Wednesday. According to several sources, the Gulf state, which houses the largest American military base in the Middle East but also maintains close ties with Iran and its allies, sent its bid to Lockheed Martin several weeks ago. Qatar on Wednesday hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a close ally who also keeps a military presence in the country, on a one-day visit. Turkey and Qatar grew ever closer following the 2017 blockade, imposed on Qatar by neighboring United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain because of its support of Iran. The report of the Qatari request comes on the heels of a similar bid made recently by the UAE, which in August agreed to normalize relations with Israel, a historic move that the UAE’s foreign minister said he expects would expedite the planned arms sale. Israeli security officials roundly criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for allegedly agreeing, behind the military’s back, to passively support a US-UAE weapons deal in return for the normalization pact, an accusation that he has denied but that has been practically corroborated by subsequent American and Emirati statements.