A group of bipartisan US lawmakers from both houses of Congress introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at integrating the air defense systems of Israel and neighboring Arab states.
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Motivations include bolstering defense cooperation between Israel and Arab nations and thwarting threats from Iran and its proxies, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
The Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defense Act would authorize the US Defense Department to cooperate with Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and the entire Gulf Cooperation Council and requires the Pentagon to submit a strategy for an integrated air and missile defense system within six months.
An integrated defense system would protect relevant countries from "cruise and ballistic missiles, manned and unmanned aerial systems, and rocket attacks from Iran," according to the wording of the bill.
Today, Iran is on the one-yard line with its nuclear program. Iran's missile capabilities are a threat to the entire region.
U.S. leadership can stand up to Iran and foster peace in the region by providing integrated missile defense through the DEFEND Act. pic.twitter.com/DBChOqE3WP
— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) June 9, 2022
Save for Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, Israel does not have formal ties with the remainder of the nations listed in the legislation.
The idea of a joint air defense system between the United States, Israel, and its Arab neighbors is nothing new, though, as it was raised during the historic Negev Summit held in Israel in March.
It was also reportedly discussed in talks between the US and Saudi Arabia that Washington hopes will lead to normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh, the Times of Israel reported.
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"Strengthening our allies by building unity and enhancing shared security capabilities is critical to confronting Iranian threats," said Rep. Brad Schneider, who was among the lawmakers who proposed the bill.
The legislation was introduced one day after Iraq reported an explosive drone had attacked the city of Erbil, wounding three people. Iran's FARS news agency later reported the attack had been directed at a "Mossad hit squad" in the city.
According to foreign reports, Israel and a number of Arab Gulf states have been in talks for some time now about cooperation in the field of aerial defense field given the common threat posed by Iran. According to various reports, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have expressed interest in purchasing Iron Dome missile batteries from Israel while Jerusalem has shown interest in improving its advanced warning through the use of satellites to be deployed across Gulf states.
In recent years, drones and ballistic missiles have targeted sites in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In most cases, these attacks were launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The largest such attack, which took place in 2019, was on two Saudi Aramco facilities and caused significant damage.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
