Israel's Barak Approves U.S. F-35 Fighters Purchase -- Reuters
(Reuters) - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved in principle on Sunday the purchase of 20 U.S.-built radar-evading stealth fighters in a deal worth $2.75 billion, defense ministry officials said.
The F-35 warplanes are expected to be delivered between 2015 to 2017, an Israeli defense official said.
Israeli leaders have spoken of arch-foe Iran potentially developing a nuclear weapon by mid-decade, suggesting that the F-35s would not be used for any preventive action, but rather to bolster the country's deterrence.
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