State Department approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets and 49 engines to Saudi Arabia. 🇺🇸 🇸🇦 Selling Saudi Arabia F-35s on top of that doesn't dilute American influence in the region, it compounds it: the kingdom becomes more dependent on US hardware and sustainment at the same moment it's dependent on US brokered intelligence access to defend the infrastructure Iran's proxies keep hitting. That's a more durable than to freeze Saudi Arabia out of fifthgeneration airpower. The deal is not about Washington choosing Riyadh over Jerusalem and more like the administration building a coalition where both allies end up needing the United States more than they need any edge over each other.