The US arranged a secret conference of top military officials from Israel and Arab countries in March, according to The Wall Street Journal on Sunday (June 26), citing authorities from the US and the region. The previously unknown conference was purportedly designed to discuss methods to collaborate against Iran’s expanding missile and drone capabilities.
The negotiations were conducted in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. According to the article, participants came from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Jordan. It is the first time that such a high-ranking group of Israeli and Arab commanders has convened under the supervision of US military leaders to discuss how to protect against a common danger.
According to the WSJ story, the US was represented by General Frank McKenzie, the then-head of US Central Command. Participants established an agreement on mechanisms for speedy communication when aerial threats are discovered, according to individuals involved with the negotiations. According to the sources, the notifications would be delivered through phone or computer rather than through a military data sharing system similar to that used in the United States.
According to Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesperson for the US Central Command, the command ‘remains committed to enhancing regional cooperation and establishing integrated air and missile defence infrastructure to safeguard our force and our regional allies’. Iran, he claimed, is ‘the key destabilising element throughout the Middle East’. Despite the fact that he did not mention the Sharm El Sheikh summit. Notably, US Vice President Joe Biden will visit Israel and Saudi Arabia in mid-July. Although no specifics have been released, a spokesperson for the National Security Council stated that the White House supports ‘broadening and strengthening Arab-Israeli ties’.
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