Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Russian state television that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could become a natural ally to Damascus if he shows he is sincere about fighting terrorism. "If Trump can genuinely fight against terrorism, he can be our natural ally," Assad, speaking through an interpreter, said in the interview which was broadcast on Wednesday.
Assad said he was encouraged by Trump's declarations during the election campaign about fighting violent Islamists and not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. But it was unclear if Trump would carry through on those promises once in office, Assad said.
(Reporting by Christian Lowe; Editing by Jack Stubbs)
[h=1]Israel greets first F-35 fighter jets from US[/h] "The F-35's stealth capabilities widen our operational theater. It allows us to bring into action many abilities that are needed from the air force for superiority," Yotam told CNN. "It allows us to undertake missions that today would demand a lot of planes and platforms to utilize." Yotam is the first person to fly the plane for Israel, and as squadron leader he'll be writing the book for the Israelis on how they'll fly the plane.
"It is a different concept of flying. If we stick to the plan -- to the way we flew the first-generation fighters -- it'll be a mistake," he said. "We have to find the specific advantage out of the fifth-generation aircraft and how to take advantage of it in order to be the best fighter pilots in the world."
[h=3][/h][h=2][/h]
F-35 fighter jet fires 55 rounds per second 00:52
Israel perceives many threats in its neighborhood, including the Syrian conflict, which is on its doorstep. Israel has responded multiple times to artillery and gunfire spilling over from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.
Israel has previously accused the Assad regime of supplying weapons to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group based in Lebanon.
Last week, reports from Damascus suggested Israel had targeted weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah for the second time in two weeks.
The militant group has been rearming since the last war with Israel in 2006. Israel claims Hezbollah has stockpiled more than 100,000 missiles.
[h=3]A response to Russia[/h]
"The F-35 is built to deal with a lot of threats on the ground. It knows how to deal with everything of interest to the Israel Defense Forces outside the borders of Israel," said Yotam.
But if Israel wants to maintain the ability to hit such targets, it will need to take account of Russia's S-300 and more advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles systems that Moscow introduced to Syria a year ago after Turkey shot down a Russian military jet. The missile system presents a challenge to Israel's regional air superiority.
Acquiring the F-35 is Israel's response. The fighter can fly virtually undetected. But stealth technology is no guarantee of flying unseen.
"When the project of building a stealth aircraft has begun, the people on the other side begin developing technology on how to unstealth the aircraft," reservist Brigadier General Ephraim Segoli, head of Israel's Airpower and Asymmetric Conflict Research Center, told CNN.
The F-35 is not likely to be used against Iran -- another of Israel's regional foes -- because Iran is too far away, according to Segoli.
"If you want to use the stealth capabilities you cannot carry an external tank, you cannot carry external missiles or bombs, so the distance is more limited. That might be a problem," Segoli said.
The plane has faced a long list of setbacks, including problems with the software, engines and weapon systems.
"Malfunctions that are discovered during the development of the plane are very natural," Lieutenant Colonel Yotam said. "I am very happy that these malfunctions have been published because people are scrutinizing them and will deal with them one after the other."
The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump criticized the F-35 program in a tweet Monday, saying: "The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th."
Jeff Babione, Lockheed Martin's F-35 program manager, said he would welcome the opportunity to answer questions from Trump about the program, adding: "Lockheed Martin and its industry partners understand the importance of affordability for the F-35 program."
"The F-35's stealth capabilities widen our operational theater. It allows us to bring into action many abilities that are needed from the air force for superiority," Yotam told CNN. "It allows us to undertake missions that today would demand a lot of planes and platforms to utilize." Yotam is the first person to fly the plane for Israel, and as squadron leader he'll be writing the book for the Israelis on how they'll fly the plane.
"It is a different concept of flying. If we stick to the plan -- to the way we flew the first-generation fighters -- it'll be a mistake," he said. "We have to find the specific advantage out of the fifth-generation aircraft and how to take advantage of it in order to be the best fighter pilots in the world."
F-35 fighter jet fires 55 rounds per second 00:52
Israel perceives many threats in its neighborhood, including the Syrian conflict, which is on its doorstep. Israel has responded multiple times to artillery and gunfire spilling over from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.
Israel has previously accused the Assad regime of supplying weapons to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group based in Lebanon.
Last week, reports from Damascus suggested Israel had targeted weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah for the second time in two weeks.
The militant group has been rearming since the last war with Israel in 2006. Israel claims Hezbollah has stockpiled more than 100,000 missiles. A response to Russia
"The F-35 is built to deal with a lot of threats on the ground. It knows how to deal with everything of interest to the Israel Defense Forces outside the borders of Israel," said Yotam.
But if Israel wants to maintain the ability to hit such targets, it will need to take account of Russia's S-300 and more advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles systems that Moscow introduced to Syria a year ago after Turkey shot down a Russian military jet. The missile system presents a challenge to Israel's regional air superiority.
Acquiring the F-35 is Israel's response. The fighter can fly virtually undetected. But stealth technology is no guarantee of flying unseen.
"When the project of building a stealth aircraft has begun, the people on the other side begin developing technology on how to unstealth the aircraft," reservist Brigadier General Ephraim Segoli, head of Israel's Airpower and Asymmetric Conflict Research Center, told CNN.
The F-35 is not likely to be used against Iran -- another of Israel's regional foes -- because Iran is too far away, according to Segoli.
"If you want to use the stealth capabilities you cannot carry an external tank, you cannot carry external missiles or bombs, so the distance is more limited. That might be a problem," Segoli said.
The plane has faced a long list of setbacks, including problems with the software, engines and weapon systems.
"Malfunctions that are discovered during the development of the plane are very natural," Lieutenant Colonel Yotam said. "I am very happy that these malfunctions have been published because people are scrutinizing them and will deal with them one after the other."
The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump criticized the F-35 program in a tweet Monday, saying: "The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th."
Jeff Babione, Lockheed Martin's F-35 program manager, said he would welcome the opportunity to answer questions from Trump about the program, adding: "Lockheed Martin and its industry partners understand the importance of affordability for the F-35 program."
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