WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Trump administration approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia.
- The package includes 49 Pratt & Whitney engines and other parts for the advanced aircraft.
- The proposal comes as Houthis intensify attacks and seek control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
- Congress has 30 days to review or attempt to block the proposed sale.
President Donald Trump’s administration has approved the potential sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, advancing a package valued at $24.3 billion as the kingdom confronts intensifying attacks from the Houthis backed by Iran in Yemen.
The package, announced Thursday, would deliver nearly 50 of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 warplanes to Riyadh.
The proposed sale also includes 49 Pratt & Whitney engines and other parts needed for the advanced aircraft.
The State Department presented the package as serving both American security priorities and the stability of a key Gulf partner.
The agency laid out its case in a statement accompanying the announcement.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region,” the State Department said.
The proposal comes as the Houthis have recently increased attacks against targets inside Saudi Arabia.
The group has also launched a lightning ground offensive aimed at exercising control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
