The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the State Department announced on Thursday. The deal still requires approval from Congress.

The F-35, built by Lockheed Martin, is considered the most advanced fighter aircraft in the US arsenal. A single F-35A costs approximately $82.5 million.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region," the State Department said in a statement.

The department added that the sale "will not alter the military balance in the region," in keeping with longstanding US policy that Israel must maintain a military edge over potential regional adversaries.

The announcement follows a $142 billion arms agreement signed during President Donald Trump's visit to Riyadh in May last year, described by the White House as the "largest defence sales agreement in history." Trump also hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House last November.

If approved, the sale would bring Saudi Arabia's F-35 fleet to a level comparable with Israel, which currently operates around 50 of the jets. Israel announced in May that it intends to procure an additional squadron, which would double its fleet to approximately 100 aircraft.

The deal has drawn opposition from Democratic lawmakers and raised concerns among some US defence officials. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the sale should not proceed "when our own intelligence community is warning that it could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party."

US intelligence analysts have raised the possibility that Beijing could acquire F-35 technology through its partnerships with Riyadh, according to reports. Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence agreement, known as the Mecca Agreement, with Pakistan and Turkey last month.

Saudi Arabia has long sought to purchase F-35s. Israel, the only country in the region currently operating the jets, has previously voiced concern about their potential sale to Riyadh. Turkey, a NATO member that participated in the F-35's multinational development programme, has been barred from receiving the aircraft since 2019 after it purchased anti-aircraft missiles from Russia.

The proposed sale comes amid intensifying conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement, an Iran-backed armed group that controls much of western Yemen. The Houthis have recently seized stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed pro-government forces.

On Wednesday, the Houthis claimed they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib, a key contested city, using what they described as a locally made surface-to-air missile. The group released video purportedly showing burning wreckage bearing Saudi Arabian markings. If confirmed, the claim would represent a significant shift in the Houthis' military capabilities. Saudi Arabia has until now maintained relative air superiority over Yemen and has relied heavily on air strikes in the conflict.

Intensifying fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis reportedly killed at least five people, including three children, on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia has sought a more direct US military role in its conflict with the Houthis, but Washington has declined to intervene directly. Sources familiar with the matter said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally pressed Trump to take military action against the Houthis, but Trump has so far refused.

Former President Joe Biden's administration had considered supplying F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of a broader diplomatic effort to normalise Saudi-Israeli relations, but those talks ultimately failed.

Congress has previously scrutinised arms deals with Riyadh following the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.