The United Arab Emirates has responded to criticism from US senators about the country's planned purchase of US fighter jets, drones and other advanced military hardware.
On Nov. 10, the US State Department notified Congress of the US government's intent to sell dozens of the F-35 fighter jets, 18 armed MQ-9B drones and precision munitions to the UAE. The F-35 is a sophisticated fighter plane that only Israel has in the Middle East. Under US law, Congress can modify or block US weapons sales to foreign countries. Talk of the sale first began over the summer, when the UAE agreed to normalize ties with Israel.