Trump receives the Saudi Crown Prince amid expectations of selling "F-35" fighters to Saudi Arabia.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups:

U.S. President Donald Trump received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House in Washington on Tuesday, in his first visit since 2018. The visit included a meeting in the Oval Office, lunch in the President's meeting room, and a formal dinner in the evening. This visit comes in the context of following up on Saudi investment commitments worth $600 billion announced during a previous visit by Trump last May. Military and economic agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, including defense sales, cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy, and investments worth billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States. Among the most prominent issues raised is the possibility of selling "F-35" fighters to Saudi Arabia, in a first-of-its-kind deal, which may redraw the military balance in the Middle East and raise Israeli concerns about maintaining its qualitative military edge. In this context, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed a document issued by the Israeli Air Force warning that selling "F-35" to Saudi Arabia may reduce Israeli air superiority, as it relies on maintaining exclusive access to fifth-generation fighters. The document confirmed that the advanced capabilities of the aircraft, including detection and data processing systems, give Israel a unique operational advantage in the region. In addition to the military components, the Saudi Crown Prince seeks to obtain security guarantees and developments in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as making progress in a civilian nuclear program. Analysts believe that Trump seeks through this visit to strengthen a multifaceted strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia, in a way that keeps the country away from China's influence, and pushes for the Kingdom's accession to the "Abraham Accords" to normalize relations with Israel, despite Saudi Arabia's reservations about any step without a clear path towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. A senior White House official said that pressuring Saudi Arabia to join the "Abraham Accords" is a priority for Trump during his term, while other experts believe that the lack of progress in this file will not hinder reaching a new security agreement between the two countries.