Israeli military circles are expressing concern that American F-15 fighter planes, if sold to Saudi Arabia, would be deployed at the fast-growing Saudi air base at Tabuk on the Gulf of Aqaba, only 150 miles from Eilat and 250 miles from Jerusalem. The American jets, considered the best aircraft of their type in the world, could reach any point in Israel without refueling and would also threaten the Israeli air base at Etzion in northern Sinai.
Since the Carter Administration has proposed the sale of 60 F-15s to Saudi Arabia, Israel’s military planners are considering the possibility that that country may become a confrontation state in another Arab-Israeli war. Consequently, the planners say, Israel must revise its entire defense strategy and provide for a deterrent capacity against a hitherto inactive sector.
Meanwhile, Israel Air Force Commander Gen. David Ivri left for the U.S. yesterday on a two-week visit. He will meet Pentagon officials and will be the guest of the General Dynamics Corp., manufacturer of the F-16 fighter, one of the aircraft types Israel is to receive from the U.S. Ivri may fly one to evaluate its performance.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
