|
Trending Topics
|
U.S. Held Secret Meeting with Israeli, Arab Military Chiefs to Counter Iran Air Threat
(Wall Street Journal) Michael R. Gordon - The U.S. convened a secret meeting of top military officials from Israel and Arab countries at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in March to explore how they could coordinate against Iran's growing missile and drone capabilities. The previously undisclosed talks marked the first time that such a range of ranking Israeli and Arab officers have met under U.S. military auspices to discuss how to defend against a common threat. The meeting included Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces; Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al Ruwaili, chief of staff of the Saudi armed forces; Lt.-Gen. Salem Bin Hamad Al-Nabit, who leads Qatar's armed forces; as well as officers from Jordan, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain. "Years of continuous attacks with rockets and UAVs by Iran and its proxies have, in the post-Abraham Accords era, helped push together both Israel and a number of its neighbors," said Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "In this game, seconds and inches matter; getting earlier detection and warning, and then establishing a firm track, can be tremendously useful for a defender's ability to engage, identify, and intercept an incoming threat."