Despite reports of talks between Israel and Arab states to establish a NATO-like Middle East military alliance, it appears the move will not materialize. According to the original plan, news of the establishment of such a bloc was supposed to be announced during US President Joe Biden's visit to the region.
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Its purpose was supposed to be to counter the Iranian threat, specifically defense against missiles and drones. The alliance was meant to include the United States, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and other Arab countries that did not normalize ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, most notably, Saudi Arabia.
According to reports, the intention was to announce the alliance in Jeddah at a summit that along with Biden will also be attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the leaders of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.
However, the countries are reluctant to make such a move. The Gulf states, especially the United Arab Emirates, fear Iran, but at the same time, maintain ties with it, and are disinterested in forming an alliance against it. They prefer to continue their security cooperation with Israel in unofficial ways.
Jordan, which was supposed to be a part of the alliance, turned it down completely. Although King Abdullah originally supported the initiative, a statement by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and many other declarations criticizing the movement that appeared in the media curbed the enthusiasm.
As for Saudi Arabia, a political source told Israel Hayom that the kingdom was simply not ready to establish an official defense alliance with Israel, regardless of Iran.
Even Israel's top security brass disagrees about the benefits of such a treaty, and some even argue that the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits.
As such, the plan seems to have been shelved, at least for now, and no announcement about it is expected to be made during Biden's visit.
Iran heavily invests in the development of long-range missiles and UAVs as a cheap and effective alternative to an air force based on fighter jets. In the last two years, the regime has carried out several successful attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and several times unsuccessfully tried to launch drones into Israel, which were intercepted by the IDF.
The Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs estimated this week that Iran might act through its envoys in Yemen and Iraq to hit Gulf states with missiles and drones while Biden is in the region. In 2017, hours before then-President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia, the Houthi rebels fired a missile at Riyadh.
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