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As part of a larger U.S. strategy for enhanced strategic cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, the Trump administration has agreed to consider a long-standing request by Abu Dhabi to enter into preliminary talks on future procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

While no decision has been made, the willingness to consider extending a classified briefing to the UAE as the first significant step toward acquisition of the fifth-generation stealth fighter signals a departure from policy enforced under former President Barack Obama. The Obama administration had consistently rebuffed Emirati requests for the briefing dating back to 2011, citing Washington’s commitment to preserve Israel’s so-called Qualitative Military Edge, or QME.

In interviews, Gulf experts and industry executives insist the Trump administration fully intends to uphold congressionally mandated commitments to the QME, which aim to provide Israel the weaponry and assistance it needs to unilaterally defend itself against any combination of regional foes. At the same time, Washington wants to build on an expanded U.S.-UAE Defense Cooperation Agreement unveiled in May during Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s meetings with Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in the U.S. capital.

“The Trump team has agreed to consider the request. It’s not a ‘yes’ yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen once the dust settles,” a former Pentagon official told Defense News. He was referring to the ongoing dispute between the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with Qatar ― a rift the administration needs to amend before it can effectively implement Trump’s new strategy for countering nuclear and non-nuclear threats from Iran.

Experts cite a convergence of events that support extending preliminary F-35 program access to the UAE, the only Arab country to have participated in six U.S.-led coalition missions since the 1991 Gulf War and which hosts thousands of Americans deployed with the U.S. Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing.

Firstly, unlike Saudi Arabia, which is some 20 kilometers from Israel’s Red Sea town of Eilat, the UAE does not share a maritime or land border with Israel. And unlike Saudi Arabia or other Gulf Cooperation Council states, the UAE Air Force has openly participated with the Israeli Air Force in international exercises, the latest in March in Greece with the Italian and Hellenic air forces and in annual U.S. Air Force Red Flag drills in Nevada.

Considering the common threat from Iran, and the time it would take for Abu Dhabi to negotiate a contract with Washington, let alone begin to take first deliveries, sources note that Israel will have enjoyed more than a decade of exclusivity as the only Air Force in the region to operate the F-35.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense declined public comment on the potential easing of F-35 restrictions for Abu Dhabi, citing sensitivities. Privately, however, sources said Israel is unlikely to object if initial steps are limited only to the UAE, and will not trigger wider approval for other GCC states.

“The two countries are not allies; not even friends. But under currently conceivable scenarios, if anyone thinks that the UAE will use this airplane to attack Israel, he or she is not living in reality,” said Shoshana Bryen, senior director at the Washington-based Jewish Policy Center.

Danny Sebright, president of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, said Abu Dhabi has been frustrated by U.S. policy governing technology transfer to the region. “The way our policy works now is Israel versus all other Arab countries. But they have no negative intentions toward the Israelis and don’t see themselves going to war with them. And as such, they don’t want decisions being held up based on how other Arab countries may affect Israel’s QME.”

In a recent interview, Sebright said Washington should consider UAE’s requests based on the merits of its long-standing partnership with the U.S. and its contribution to regional stability. He said the new 15-year Defense Cooperation Agreement is meant to be an indefinite umbrella agreement that should ultimately cover the F-35 and other front-line American weaponry as well as joint research and development, more special operations cooperation, and other bilateral initiatives.

In a 13-page report published by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council last month, Sebright listed a broad spectrum of areas ― from counterterrorism to Afghanistan reconstruction efforts ― in which Abu Dhabi has materially contributed to U.S. security and its interests in and far beyond the Arabian Gulf. He noted that the UAE is one of the largest customers of the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program and ranks among the top 15 defense spenders in the world.

“U.S.-UAE basing agreements, joint training and weapons sales are not merely for show. ... The UAE has become not just a consumer of security, but also a provider of security in the Gulf region and the wider Middle East,” Sebright said.

Nevertheless, he warned that U.S. restrictions may force Abu Dhabi to turning to non-Western countries for major military systems. Earlier this year, the UAE and Russia signed a letter of intent to jointly develop a fifth-generation fighter based on the MiG-29, while Moscow announced UAE interest in potential procurement of the Sukhoi Su-35.

“Whether or not this transpires can be viewed as a reflection of the UAE’s frustration with the US acquisition process,” Sebright wrote. He said Abu Dhabi’s unmet F-35 request “is not an isolated case.” He cited the UAE’s purchase of Chinese UAVs as a supplement to a U.S. acquisition of unarmed Predator drones, the catalyst being Washington’s refusal to approve strike-capable systems.

“The UAE is not only a consumer of US security, but a provider for US security. ... While they may be willing to consider non-Western suppliers, it is important to emphasize that it continues to demonstrate a strong preference for US [weaponry] … which comes with US training and support and further reinforces the bilateral defense and security relationship that is so important” to both countries, the report concludes.

Simon Henderson, director of the Washington Institute’s Gulf and Energy Policy Program, suggested that Saudi Arabia could dispel concerns regarding its intentions toward Israel by publicly participating in U.S.-led exercises aimed at regional defense.

“The US would consider selling F-35s to the Saudis if the Saudis were not a threat to Israel. And an indication they are not a threat to Israel would be for Saudi Arabia and Israel to take part in the same third-party air exercises,” Henderson said.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

US delivers first A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the Lebanese Army
By: Agnes Al Helou and Chirine Mchantaf   17 hours ago
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One of two Brazilian built A29 Super Tucano planes that were handed by the U.S. government to the Lebanese Army arrives at Hamat, north of Beirut, during a welcome ceremony on October 31, 2017. (Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images)

HAMAT AIR BASE, Lebanon – The Lebanese Army received the first two A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the U.S. Oct. 31 during a handover ceremony held at Hamat Air Base, north of the capital Beirut.

The two aircraft are the first of six that will be provided by the U.S. to the Lebanese Army within the framework of the military aid program to the country.

“The A-29’s advanced technology provides [Lebanese Armed Forces] precision guided munitions and advanced precision strike capability,” said U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard during a speech at the event. “The LAF will now be able to conduct joint combined arms maneuvers in all conditions, day and night, in a way that greatly reduces the risk of collateral damage and the danger to non-combatants.”



For his part, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun said the two Super Tucano aircraft, which have advanced combat and surveillance capabilities will make a “qualitative leap in improving the aerial capabilities of the LAF.”

The remaining four light attack aircraft are expected to arrive before June 2018, according to official Lebanese air ‎force sources who did not want to be named.

In all, the aid is worth around $240 million, including basic cost of the aircraft ($204 million), the cost of ammunition and armament ($10 million) and the cost of the training ($12 million).

Another source with knowledge of the deal stressed expanded capabilities provided by the A-29 acquisition, considering that LAF has relied primarily on converted helicopters for military operations. SA 330C Pumas, for example, were used in operations “Dawn of the Outskirts” and “Nahr Al-Bared” to strike terrorist positions with missiles that were not equipped to be used from helicopter platforms, said the source.

Lebanon is also looking to double the LAF capabilities by procuring six additional A-29 aircraft, Commander of the Lebanese Air Force Brig. Gen. P.S.C Ziad ‎Haykal disclosed during the ceremony.


The A-29B will be equipped with the 12.7 mm (0.50 Caliber) M3M machine gun, LM 70/7-SF-M9 MK2 multiple launcher (70 mm), MK81/82 bombs and GBU-12/GBU-58 laser-guided bombs. LAF will also likely equip the MK81 bomb with a guidance kit to “make it a smart bomb,” according to a military source.

The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) from BAE Systems is expected to be delivered in May 2018 and supplied on the remaining four aircraft to the LAF, said Haykal.

Nohad Zebyan, a former Lebanese Air Force commander, said the A-29B aircraft dedicated to the Lebanese Army “are not supersonic or dedicated to air combat, but perfect for reconnaissance and training missions.”

Over the last decade, the U.S. government has invested over $1.5 billion in training and equipment to support the Lebanese military, and trained over 32,000 troops. The U.S. announced another $120 million in Foreign Military Financing, which brings the total investment in the Lebanese armed forces to over $160 million just this year.

To read this story and other defense news from the Middle East in Arabic, visit

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delft said:

No-one in the Middle East, and especially Lebanon's main enemy Israel, will be impressed.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

I call bull... It's a COIN aircraft. Counterinsurgency, and if there was a main threat in the middle east it's not the Israelis, They are reactionary and right now most of the neighbors are actually on almost friendly terms. no it's the insurgencies.
No one impressed? consider.
The Jordanian Air force has Air Tractor AT802's ( Same class) and AC235 (Gunship) both COIN aircraft.
The UAE has Archangel Coin Aircraft of the same class.
The Saudis have shown an interest in the Textron Air Land Scorpion also a Coin mission
The Turkish TAI Hürkuş C is in the same class.
The Iraqis have been given AC-208 Combat Caravan little larger but same idea.
The Israeli Drone program basically does the same job just unmanned.

Just last year a couple OV10s Broncos Also a coin type made strikes on Self proclaimed Caliphate targets.
Seems to me like a few would be impressed.

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Lebanese PM Hariri resigns, attacking Iran and Hezbollah

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s prime minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Saturday, saying he believed there was an assassination plot against him and accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.


FILE PHOTO - Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri presides a cabinet meeting at the governmental palace in Beirut, Lebanon September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
His resignation, a big surprise to Beirut’s political establishment, brought down the coalition government and plunged Lebanon into a new political crisis.

It thrust Lebanon into the front line of a regional competition between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi‘ite Iran that has also buffeted Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain. A Saudi government minister said Hariri was in Riyadh to ensure his safety.

Hariri, who is closely allied with Saudi Arabia, alleged in a broadcast from an undisclosed location that Hezbollah was “directing weapons” at Yemenis, Syrians and Lebanese.


In comments directed at Iran, he said the Arab world would “cut off the hands that wickedly extend to it”.

Hariri’s coalition, which took office last year, grouped nearly all of Lebanon’s main parties, including Hezbollah. It took office in a political deal that made Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, president, and was seen as a victory for Iran.

The resignation risks exacerbating sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shi‘ite Muslims and returning Lebanon to paralysis in government.

It was not immediately clear who might succeed Hariri, Lebanon’s most influential Sunni politician.

The prime minister must be a Sunni in Lebanon’s sectarian system. Aoun must appoint the candidate with most support among MPs, who he is expected to consult in the coming days.

“We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of martyr Rafik al-Hariri. I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life,” Hariri said.

Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a 2005 Beirut bomb attack that pushed his son Saad into politics and set off years of turmoil. A U.N.-backed tribunal has charged five Hezbollah members over the killing. Hezbollah denies involvement.


The Saudi-owned pan-Arab television channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath reported that an assassination plot against Hariri was foiled in Beirut days ago, citing an unnamed source.

Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan said in a television interview that Hariri’s personal security detail had “confirmed information” of a plot to kill him.

Lebanon’s internal security force said in a statement on the reports that it had no information about the matter.

Hariri said Hezbollah and Iran had brought Lebanon into the “eye of a storm” of international sanctions. Iran was sowing strife, destruction and ruin wherever it went and he accused it of a “deep hatred for the Arab nation”.

Aoun’s office said Hariri had called him from “outside Lebanon” to inform him of his resignation. He has postponed a visit to Kuwait and directed military and security agencies “to maintain stability”, it said.

Hariri flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday after a meeting in Beirut with Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Afterwards, Velayati described Hariri’s coalition as “a victory” and “great success”.
TUSSLE FOR INFLUENCE
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, will address Hariri’s resignation in a televised speech on Sunday, Hezbollah-affiliated media reported.

A member of Hezbollah’s central committee, Sheikh Nabil Kawouk, accused Riyadh of being behind Hariri’s resignation, saying in a speech reported by Lebanon’s al-Jadeed television: “God protect Lebanon from the evil of Saudi Arabia’s reckless adventures.”

Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon’s Druze minority, said Lebanon was too weak to bear the consequences of Hariri’s resignation, saying he feared political and economic fallout.

“We cannot afford to fight the Iranians from Lebanon,” he told Reuters, advocating an approach of compromise with Hezbollah in Lebanon while waiting for regional circumstances to allow Saudi-Iranian dialogue.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Hariri’s departure was a plot to “create tension in Lebanon and the region”.

“Hariri’s resignation was done with planning by Donald Trump, the president of America, and Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia,” said Hussein Sheikh al-Islam, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader.

Sabhan, the Saudi minister, echoed the language of the Lebanese politician saying in a tweet: “The hands of treachery and aggression must be cut off.”

Israeli politicians also used Hariri’s resignation to criticize Iranian influence in Lebanon. “His words are a wake-up call to the international community to take action against Iranian aggression,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

ECONOMIC RISKS
Hezbollah’s close ties to Iran and its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with rebels have been a major source of tension in Lebanon for years.

Beirut has adopted a position of “disassociation” from the conflict, but this has come under strain with Hezbollah and its allies pushing for a normalization of ties.


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Since taking office, Hariri had worked to garner international aid for Lebanon to cope with the strain of hosting some 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

The government’s collapse complicates preparations for next year’s parliamentary elections, Lebanon’s first since 2009.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Reuters there was no danger to Lebanon’s economy or its currency.

Joseph Torbey, head of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, said there was no risk to monetary stability because the central bank had large reserves and there was confidence in Lebanese banks.

Lebanon has one of the world’s highest ratios of debt-to-GDP and last month passed its first budget since 2005, one of the few achievements of the coalition government.

The United States is considering new sanctions on Hezbollah, as part of a tougher stance against Iran and its allies, that Lebanese politicians have fretted could hurt the economy.

Reporting by Angus McDowall, Tom Perry, Sarah Dadouch, Lisa Barrington and Babak Dehghanpisheh in Beirut, Ahmed Tolba in Cairo, Reem Shamseddine in Khobar and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Stephen Powell

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NOVEMBER 4, 2017 / 8:19 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

All Parties? Really?

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Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia in a surprise move that plunged the country into uncertainty amid heightened regional tensions.

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Earlier this week, Saudi state minister for Gulf affairs Thamer al-Sabhan sharply criticised Hezbollah, calling for its “toppling” and promising “astonishing developments” in the coming days during an interview with the Lebanese TV station MTV.

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Senior Saudi royal ousted, princes reportedly arrested
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Prince Miteb bin Abdul Aziz on Saturday was relieved of his post as head of the Saudi National Guard. The move by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ousted one of the country's highest-level royals from power. (Hassan Ammar/AP)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Saturday removed a prominent prince who headed the National Guard, replaced the economy minister and announced the creation of a new anti-corruption committee.

The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel also reported late Saturday that 11 princes and dozens of former ministers were detained in a new anti-corruption probe headed by the kingdom’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was also named to oversee the new committee.

Al-Arabiya reported that the committee is looking into devastating and deadly floods that overwhelmed parts of the city of Jiddah in 2009 and is investigating the Saudi government’s response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus that has killed several hundred people in the past few years.



Meanwhile, the kingdom’s top council of clerics issued a statement saying it is an Islamic duty to fight corruption— essentially giving religious backing to the high-level arrests being reported.

The government said the anti-corruption committee has the right to issue arrest warrants, impose travel restrictions and freeze bank accounts. It can also trace funds, prevent the transfer of funds or the liquidation of assets and take other precautionary measures until cases are referred to the judiciary.

The royal order said the committee was established “due to the propensity of some people for abuse, putting their personal interest above public interest, and stealing public funds.”

Saudi nationals have long complained of rampant corruption in government and of public funds being squandered or misused by people in power.

The 32-year-old crown prince has been seeking to attract greater international investments and improve the country’s reputation as a place to do business. It’s part of a larger effort to diversify the economy away from dependence on oil revenue.

The king ousted one of the country’s highest-level royals from power, removing Prince Miteb bin Abdullah as head of the National Guard. He was replaced by Prince Khalid bin Ayyaf al-Muqrin, who had held a senior post with the guard.

Prince Miteb’s father was the late King Abdullah, who also had led the National Guard and had transformed it into a powerful and prestigious force tasked with protecting the ruling Al Saud family, as well as important holy sites in Mecca and Medina, and oil and gas sites.

Prince Miteb was once considered a contender for the throne. His ouster as head of the National Guard essentially sidelines one of the most formidable rivals to the current crown prince, who has amassed enormous power in less than three years since his father, King Salman, ascended to the throne.

It comes just three months after Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was ousted from the line of succession and from his post as interior minister, overseeing internal security.

With the two princes now sidelined, control of the kingdom’s security apparatus is now largely centralized under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defense minister.

The monarch also replaced Minister of Economy and Planning Adel Fakeih with his deputy, Mohammad al-Tuwaijri.

Admiral Abdullah Al-Sultan was also sacked as commander of Saudi Naval Forces and replaced by Admiral Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Ghifaili.

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