(File photo)An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during an air show at the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim Israeli Air Force base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva, on December 27, 2017. (AFP photo)

JERUSALEM, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Israel is the first country in the world to use the U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighter in combat, said Israel Air Force (IAF) Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin on Tuesday.

"We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East. It had become part of our operational capabilities. We are the first to attack using the F-35 in the Middle East and have already attacked twice on different fronts," he said during the IAF Senior Air Force Conference in Herzilya.

Norkin made the comments while showing a picture of one Israeli F-35 flying over the Lebanese capital of Beirut. He did not mention when the picture was taken.

Israel declared initial operational capability of the U.S.-made jet last December after receiving nine F-35s, with the rest 41 planes to be received to make two full squadrons by 2024.

With an extremely low radar signature, the F-35 is able to operate undetected deep inside "enemy territory such as Iran" as well as evade advanced missile defense systems like the Russian-made S-300 system which Tehran announced in March had become operational, Norkin said.

According to U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin, over 280 F-35 aircraft have been delivered and are operating from 15 bases around the globe with over 130,000 cumulative flight hours.