Israel’s F-35I Adir Fighter Jet Has an ‘Achilles Heel’ No One Saw It Coming

What You Need to Know: Al-Haq, a Palestinian NGO, has filed a legal challenge in London to stop the export of parts for Israel’s F-35 fleet. Britain recently suspended 30 arms export licenses to Israel over humanitarian law concerns but excluded F-35 components, citing global security implications.

-Al-Haq claims that the Israeli Air Force used F-35s to target civilian areas in Gaza; The IDF denies this accusation and emphasizes that Hamas uses human shields and underground tunnels.

-While the case is unlikely to halt Israel’s operations, it underscores increasing scrutiny on the F-35’s use and could complicate the global fleet’s supply chain.

Lawyers May Be the Biggest Threat to Israel’s F-35 Fleet

Lawyers for a Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) have filed a legal challenge in London calling for a halt to the export of parts of the Lockheed Martin F-35 multirole fighter jet to the Middle Eastern country.

West Bank-based Al-Haq took legal action against the UK Department of Trade and Commerce and appealed to the London High Court. The group tracks “alleged rights violations by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.” Reuters reported.

UK Already Suspends Arms Export Licenses

In September, the UK government suspended around 30 arms export licenses to Israel, citing concerns about international humanitarian law.

“The UK’s strong export licensing criteria state that the government will not grant export licenses if the products in question are used to commit or facilitate serious breaches of International Humanitarian Law,” the British government said. he said. a statement. “The suspension will not change the UK’s steadfast support for Israel’s security and the decision will remain under review.”

Components exempt from the export ban were: F-35 Yıldırım IILondon made clear that components of the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet would be “excluded” but added, “except where they will go directly to Israel.”

“Any suspension of these assembled parts is not possible without creating a significant impact on the global F35 fleet that would have serious consequences for international peace and security,” the decision said. It was claimed.

Al-Haq argued that London’s decision was “illegal” and had previously claimed that F-35s were used by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to strike civilian targets.

“The deployment of F-35s by Israel has been repeatedly confirmed since the start of the current attacks on Gaza, including their role in dropping 2000lb bombs on densely populated areas,” the NGO said. September statement.

Lawsuit Won’t Stop Israel, But Could Stop F-35

Israel began attacking Gaza after October 7, 2023. terrorist attack The attack on southern Israel is being carried out by Iran-backed Hamas. According to Israeli figures, around 1,200 people were killed, including hundreds of young people who attended the music festival. Additionally, 250 hostages were taken.

Israel continued to conduct combat operations in Gaza to root out Hamas, leaving large parts of Gaza City, the most heavily occupied city in the Middle East, in ruins. The IDF claimed that Hamas frequently employed civilians and human shields and maintained operations centers beneath schools, hospitals, and other civilian buildings; these are all connected by a huge tunnel complex, which earned the nickname “Gaza Metro.”

Human rights groups claim F-35s have UK-made components connected There are civilian casualties, and there are also accusations that defense firms are somehow “profiting” from the conflict in Gaza. The IDF disputes the allegations. But last winter a Dutch court stopped exports F-35 components from the Netherlands to Israel.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer based in Michigan. it exists contributed To more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites, with more than 3,200 published articles during his two-decade journalism career. He writes regularly about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics and international relations. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Customs Clearance Works. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: (email protected).

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