“Israel, the United States and its regional partners have formed an air defense alliance that has successfully thwarted Iran’s attempts to attack Israel and other Middle Eastern countries,” said Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
“The Middle East Air Defense program was launched last year and is currently working to protect Israel and its neighbors from cruise missiles and drones,” Gantz told parliament on Monday. Bloomberg reported.
And the Wall Street Journal revealed earlier this month that “a proposal for a bipartisan bill in Congress that would require the Pentagon to work with Israel and a number of Arab states to strengthen air defenses to counter the Iranian threat.”
The bill states: “This bill is the latest US effort to strengthen defense cooperation between Israel and several Arab countries after the normalization of relations between them.”
Under the bill, the Pentagon must present a strategy within 180 days of approval that sets out an “integrated air and missile defense system approach.”
“President Biden’s visit will support this process,” Gantz said, referring to the US president’s planned trip to the Middle East next month, which includes Israel and Saudi Arabia.
According to the report, the defense protects Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the GCC countries, as well as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Israel, against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, manned and unmanned aerial systems, and Iranian missile strikes. Draft bill
“Israel is preparing offensive options against Iran if necessary,” the Israeli defense minister told Channel 12 on Sunday.
Tensions between Israel and Iran have risen in recent weeks following the assassination of a senior Iranian officer in Tehran last month, as well as the killing of other Iranian security personnel and airstrikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria.
Israel does not accept such an operation, which Iran usually accuses.
Earlier on Friday, senior Israeli officials warned of “text” threats that Iran would carry out a terrorist attack on Israelis in Istanbul over the weekend, urging all citizens to leave Turkey immediately.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, have warned against traveling to the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt amid the Iranian threat.
The Gulf Arab states and Israel share common concerns about Iran’s military capabilities in the region and have opposed US efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal that halted Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.
According to Gulf states, the nuclear deal failed to address their concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities or its support for armed groups in the region, including Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates have pressured the United States to provide security guarantees if Iran’s nuclear deal is returned.
Talks between world powers and Iran have now reached a stalemate, and Tehran has called on the United States to cancel the Revolutionary Guards’ nomination for terrorism.
Source: Lebanon Debate
