David Cameron’s failure to take military action against Syria may have cost Britain a £6billion deal to sell fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates, experts claimed last night.

The Prime Minister faced a massive snub when the oil-rich Gulf state suddenly pulled the plug on plans to buy 60 Eurofighter Typhoons from defence giant BAe Systems on Thursday.

Following a year of talks, the aerospace firm admitted the UAE had ‘elected not to proceed’ on the purchase of a range of defence and security equipment.

The decision was a blow for Mr Cameron, who flew to Dubai last month to persuade crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to buy the warplanes, which are also in service with the RAF.

Defence analysts said the Government had paid the price for failing to be ‘robust’ over Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, who killed more than 1,400 civilians in a chemical weapon attack in a bid to crush pro-democracy rebels.

In August, Mr Cameron suffered a humiliating Commons defeat over plans for missile strikes on Syria – seen as a grave threat to Middle East stability.

But inaction by Downing Street over Damascus – and Iran’s nuclear ambitions – fuelled concerns in the Gulf about the UK’s long-term commitment to the region’s stability.

Dr John Louth, of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said: ‘Britain didn’t really do a great deal in relation to Syria and this may have undermined [the UAE’s] confidence.

But Dr Louth suggested the lucrative contract might not be ‘dead in the water’ because the UAE still needed fighter jets. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a deal on this in the next year,’ he added.

However, Keith Hayward, of the Royal Aeronautical Society, said: ‘All sorts of things can affect these deals and not just to do with the quality of the aircraft concerned.’

UAE military chiefs are said to prefer the Typhoon following its performance in Libya during the 2011 campaign to oust Colonel Gaddafi.

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A major Hollywood producer is planning to spill the beans about his double life as an arms dealer and Israeli intelligence operative in the late 1970s.

Arnon Milchan, the Israeli producer of smash hits including Fight Club and Pretty Woman, is opening up for the first time ever in an Israeli TV show on Monday to speak about his involvement in clandestine deals to acquire arms for Israel and his work to promote the country’s alleged nuclear program.

Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck and other major Hollywood players are also featured in the controversial report to be aired on Israel’s Channel 2.

The film tycoon spoke to Israeli investigative journalist Ilana Dayan for the season premiere of her current affairs show, Uvda.

In the interview he tells her how he tried to engage Hollywood colleagues in his work for Israel’s Defense Ministry, according to Haaretz.

He claims he managed to convince other Hollywood bigwigs, including the late director Sydney Pollack, to get involved.

Pollack, who died in 2008, acquired arms and other military equipment for Israel in the 1970s, reveals Milchan in the TV report.

Pollack knew of the details of the deals, says Milchan, who adds that he ‘didn’t want to scare him because he’s American… He could have said “no”. He said “no” many times, but he also said “yes” many times’.

Milchan also says he used at least one big-name actor’s star quality to lure US scientist Arthur Biehl – an expert on nuclear weapons and a co-developer of the hydrogen bomb – to a meeting.

Milchan invited Biehl to the actor’s home under the pretence the actor was seeking scientific advice for a project he was working on.

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