Amid Houthi threat, Israeli, US & Arab states' military commanders held secret meeting – report
Kuwait could join Abraham Accords within the year, says Israeli ambassador to UAE
Against the background of the recent lightning offensive by the Houthi terrorists in Yemen, relations between Israel and the Gulf states appear to improve amid persistent reports that Israel is the only country in the region currently offering Saudi Arabia tangible support against the Iran-backed Houthis.
On Tuesday, the news outlet Axios reported that top military commanders from the U.S., Israel, and several Arab countries held a secret meeting last week, while Israel's Ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, revealed that Kuwait may be on the verge of normalizing relations with Israel.
The Houthi terror group surprisingly captured large swathes of southern Yemen over the past week, including the coast along the Bab el-Mandeb strait and several islands within the waterway. In addition, Iran-backed militias in Iraq damaged a crucial Saudi pipeline used as an alternative route to export oil through the Red Sea.
Neither the U.S. nor the Saudis’ many regional allies, including Pakistan and Turkey, which recently signed a defense alliance with Riyadh, have helped the kingdom.
However, Ynet News on Tuesday cited diplomatic sources in the region saying Israel is transferring intelligence on Houthi targets through the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM).
The situation was reportedly also discussed as CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper met Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Monday. According to the news outlet Axios, Riyadh and Jerusalem are discussing additional ways to upgrade Israeli intelligence support, based on the model of its assistance to the UAE throughout the war with Iran.
Israel has confirmed the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system plus personnel in the UAE, while providing its military real-time assistance with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), Israeli officials said.
In recent days, multiple Israeli experts and commentators have urged the government to use the current situation to improve recently cooled ties with Riyadh. In a Tuesday interview with Kan Reshet Bet Radio, Shelley described the situation as “an opportunity.”
Also Tuesday, two Israeli officials confirmed that military leaders from Israel, the U.S., as well as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt met in Germany last week to discuss the situation in the region.
CENTCOM stated that it "hosted senior military leaders from eight nations during a scheduled conference in Germany. The leaders discussed opportunities for enhancing security cooperation in the Middle East.” This reportedly was the first such meeting since the Iran war.
Adm. Cooper reportedly assured the group that the U.S. military would maintain its presence despite several Iranian attacks on U.S. bases, and also presented the U.S.’s plans for the future of the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. Navy continues to guide and defend vessels amid Iranian attacks.
Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir briefed the participants on the ongoing IDF operations on various fronts.
'For so long the Islamists controlled Kuwaiti politics, now we are seeing a shift pushing Kuwait to the side of Israel'
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Growing cooperation between Israel and the Gulf countries could also lead to another country joining the Abraham Accords in the near future, Shelley said during his interview.
“I estimate that in the next four to six months another country will join the Abraham Accords,” he said on the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords.
“I think that we may be in for a surprise. I know everyone is working on it. Based on what I'm learning, even the Kuwaitis are beginning to realize that a shift has occurred, and they might be the next to come on board,” Shelley added.
Kuwait is seen as one of the most antisemitic countries in the region. Normalization with Israel is complicated further due to its relatively powerful parliament, which is dominated by Islamists and Arab nationalists who stridently reject it.
The Abraham Accords are normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, though the agreement with Sudan wasn't implemented. The first countries to sign were the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Sept. 15, 2020 in Washington D.C.
Sudan announced its desire to normalize relations with Israel in October of that year, while Morocco did the same in December, amounting to four Israeli-Arab peace accords within four months.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged other countries to join the accords, particularly Saudi Arabia, though the efforts have not been successful so far.
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