The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been seeking to buy an unknown number of F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter jets, said in the report by i24NEWS.

According to the Israeli news portal, the UAE seeks to purchase its own fleet of the advanced F-35 fighter jets, built by US defense giant Lockheed Martin, and amid reports of a burgeoning Israeli-Gulf alliance against Iran.

The UAE is building one of the most modern armed forces in the region and for this purpose visited Israel to review operations of the advanced US-made F-35 fighter jets.  A delegation from the USA was also present at the time of the UAE visit to Nevatim Air Base in Israel.

However, there is no official confirmation of both the visit of the UAE delegation to Israel and the negotiations on the F-35 at the moment.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, and advanced sustainment. Israel is the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35 fighter jet, where they are operated by the IAF’s Golden Eagle Squadron, based in the Nevatim Air Base in the center of the country.