The decision came after onerous US restrictions issued to protect weapons from alleged Chinese intelligence efforts, Al-Mayadeen said.

The pan-Arab channel cited former British ambassador to Syria Peter Ford, who gave the reason for Abu Dhabi not to close the purchase agreement, because of demands from Washington to avoid any Israel’s decreased military superiority.

Mr. Ford said UAE is unwilling to pay a high price for F-15s as modern warfare has turned to drones.

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