Photos: Israel first country after USA to receives F-35s jet

Israel became the first country after the US to receive the American-built jets, which will increase its ability to attack distant targets, including Iran.

The much-hyped arrival of the first two fighter jets was overshadowed by US President-elect Donald Trump's tweet that Lockheed Martin's whole F-35 project was too expensive, which came out while the planes were delayed in Italy.

"The F-35 program and cost is out of control," Trump said on Twitter, sending Lockheed Martin's shares down 4 percent.

Critics of the plane say it can carry a smaller weapons payload and has a shorter range than Israel's current squadrons of US-built F-15s and F-16s.

But some experts say the F-35's stealth capabilities make up for this because it can be more accurate and fly a more direct route to its target. Israel's air force mostly flies missions close to home, in the Gaza Strip and against arms shipments to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria. Check its photos after the cut...