Israel has approved a massive deal to acquire one squadron of F-35 and F-15 fighter jets from the US, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “our pilots can reach anywhere in the skies of Iran.”
The plan aims to “ensure Israel’s air superiority for decades to come,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
“The F-35 and F-15IA acquisitions are central to the ‘Shield of Israel’ plan, which is designed to give the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) a lasting qualitative edge,” he said.
Netanyahu said it would bolster Israel’s “overwhelming air superiority” but pledged to start building its own weapons and fighter planes.
“Our pilots can reach anywhere in the skies of Iran and are ready to do so, if needed,” he said. “Over the next decade, we will add 350 billion shekels ($118 billion) to the defense budget in order to manufacture such weaponry in Israel and not be dependent on foreign suppliers,” he said.
“At the same time, we will develop ‘blue-and-white’ groundbreaking aircraft. This will change the entire picture,” he said, using a term for products developed in Israel.
Israel’s air force played a central role in the war in Gaza, carrying out one of the most intense aerial bombardment campaigns in recent history. Thousands of strikes targeted what Israel said were Hamas positions, including tunnels, command centers, and rocket launch sites.
Israel has also fought two wars against Iran in less than a year, during which its air power has been used for long-range strikes deep inside Iranian territory. Israeli officials have described the strikes as precise and aimed at degrading Iran’s strategic capabilities, while Iranian officials have reported repeated waves of air raids on key cities and industrial areas.
In addition to its recent weeks-long war with Iran, fought alongside its ally the United States, Israel continues to battle the Iran-backed Islamist movement Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
As for the drones: A few weeks ago, I ordered the establishment of a special project to thwart the drone threat, and a progress report on the matter will be presented to me today. It will take time, but we are on it. We will continue to ensure Israel’s superiority in all arenas,” Israeli PM said.
Iran War
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that “very positive discussions” were underway with Iran on finding a solution to the war. Earlier, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, told state television that Tehran had submitted a 14-point plan “focused on ending the war,” and that Washington had responded with a message to Pakistani mediators.
“I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the war began, choking off major flows of oil, gas, and fertilizer to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump said “countries from all over the world” had requested American aid in navigating through the key waterway and out of the Gulf.
“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said.
“This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time.”
He called it a “humanitarian gesture,” saying many of the marooned ships were “running low on food, and everything else necessary for large-scale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner.”
Trump offered few details on how the mission would work. But an operation to guide ships out of the narrow strait could put US service members precariously close to Iranian forces.
In a post on X, US Central Command said starting Monday, its forces would begin supporting Project Freedom with guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in the post.
Now, Iran has warned that it would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ceasefire.
Trump said Sunday the new maritime operation, which he dubbed “Project Freedom,” was a “humanitarian” gesture for crews aboard the many ships swept up in the blockade and which may be running low on food and other crucial supplies.
“We will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, noting operations would begin on Monday.
In response, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission said: “Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire.”
By ET Desk with Agence France-Presse Inputs
