Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reiterate our warning to companies dealing with ports in occupied Palestine that their vessels and crews will be targeted anywhere.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reaffirm our commitment to preventing Israeli maritime activity in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Yemeni Armed Forces: This naval military operation was carried out in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and in solidarity with their heroic resistance fighters.
Yemeni Armed Forces: The vessel was targeted after it ignored calls and warnings issued by the Yemeni naval forces.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We targeted the vessel ETERNITY C as it was heading to the occupied port of Umm al-Rashrash using a drone boat and six cruise missiles.
Israeli drones conduct an airstrike on Saboura and Yafour in the Damascus countryside, Syria.
Al-Qassam Brigades: We targeted an Israeli army D9 bulldozer with a Shawaaz explosive device in a resistance operation in the Ma'an area, south of Khan Younis, on June 24
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Syrian army and police forces will only be permitted to carry light weapons in the buffer zones
Sources to Al Mayadeen: All heavy weapons will be evacuated from Syrian army barracks in the south of the country
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Three buffer zones will soon be established in southern Syria: Daraa, Quneitra, and Sweida

US, Israeli, Arab military chiefs secretly meet: WSJ

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Wall Street Journal
  • 26 Jun 2022 19:08
  • 5 Shares
5 Min Read

Military officials from "Israel", Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain met in Sharm El Sheikh.

  • x
  • Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the latter's Abu Dhabi palace, December 13, 2021
    Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the latter's Abu Dhabi palace, December 13, 2021

Both US and regional officials held a secret meeting in March of top military officials from "Israel" and Arab countries to discuss how they could coordinate against Iran's growing missile and drone capabilities, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The previously undisclosed talks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, were the first time such a high-ranking group of Israeli and Arab officers met under US military auspices to discuss how to defend against "a common threat."

The meeting brought together top military officers from "Israel", Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan, and came as "Israel" and its neighbors, according to officials cited by WSJ, are in the early stages of discussing potential military cooperation.

Read next: Egypt's El-Sisi hosts tripartite summit with Israeli, UAE leaders

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain both sent representatives to the meeting. The US was represented by Gen. Frank McKenzie, then the head of the US Central Command.

Such military cooperation was not thought to be possible for decades. US commanders in the Middle East attempted to persuade Arab states to coordinate their air defenses without involving "Israel," which was viewed as an adversary by much of the Arab world at the official level.

Several changes facilitated the talks, including what WSJ described as shared fears of Iran, improved political ties signaled by the normalization agreement with "Tel Aviv", and the Trump administration's decision to expand Central Command's area of coverage to include "Israel" in January 2021.

Arab access to Israeli airspace 

Another factor driving increased military cooperation is the normalizing Arab regimes' desire for access to Israeli air defense technology and weapons at a time when the United States is shifting its military priorities to counter China and Russia, according to WSJ.

In a statement, Col. Joe Buccino, a Central Command spokesperson, didn’t acknowledge the Sharm El Sheikh meeting but said the command “maintains a firm commitment to increasing regional cooperation and developing integrated air and missile defense architecture to protect our force and our regional partners.” He claimed that Iran “is the primary destabilizing factor across the Middle East.” 

Related News

Saudi-Israeli normalization deal hinges on Syria: Israeli media

Netanyahu meets Trump for second meeting to discuss Gaza ceasefire

Spokespersons for "Israel" and Arab countries, with the exception of the UAE, declined or did not respond to requests for comment on the meeting. The UAE did not comment on the talks but did address the issue of cooperation in general.

“The UAE is not party to any regional military alliance or cooperation targeting any specific country,” the government there said in a statement. “Furthermore, the UAE is not aware of any formal discussions relating to any such regional military alliance.”

States to counter "air threats"

The Sharm El Sheikh talks came after secret discussions in a lower-level working group among representatives from Middle Eastern countries about how they could collaborate to detect and defend against air threats, Marine Maj. Gen. Scott Benedict, the Central Command's then-chief planning officer, was a member of the working group, said to WSJ.

According to people familiar with the Sharm El Sheikh talks, participants reached an agreement in principle on procedures for rapid notification when "aerial threats are detected."

For the time being, such notifications would be sent via phone or computer rather than through high-speed digital data sharing akin to that used by the US military. Officials also discussed how decisions about which nations' forces would intercept aerial threats might be made.

According to people familiar with the meeting, those understandings were not legally binding. The next step is to secure political leaders' support for codifying notification arrangements.

Biden to visit "Israel" and KSA

In mid-July, President Biden plans to visit "Israel" and Saudi Arabia. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council said the White House supported what it called "broadening and deepening Arab-Israeli ties," but gave no further details.

For decades, the US has hoped to build an integrated air defense shield in the Middle East, one that would connect radars, satellites, and other sensors across the region.

Arab Gulf countries' efforts to foster such cooperation have long been hampered by their unwillingness to share sensitive data that could expose their own vulnerabilities, as well as their fears that Saudi Arabia would dominate such a partnership.

Read next: Biden: Israeli security part of reason for KSA trip

This coincides with the recent military exercises by the Israeli occupation forces over the Mediterranean Sea that simulated attacks and airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The drill, an official statement by the IOF read, included "long-range flight, aerial refueling, and striking distant targets."

  • United States
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Arab military
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Qatar
  • Egypt
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Bahrain
  • Sharm El-Sheikh

Most Read

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' peace deal

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' normalization

  • MENA
  • 4 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam hits IOF groupings in Khan Younis; ‘tough incident’ reported

3 Israeli soldiers killed by Resistance gunfire in south, north Gaza

  • Palestine
  • 4 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Big beautiful bill's ugly reality for American healthcare
US & Canada

'Big beautiful bill's' ugly reality for American healthcare

Ukrainian Forces struggle to hold Eastern front lines: NYT
Europe

Ukrainian forces struggle to hold eastern frontlines: NYT

Plan proposes transit camps for Gazans ahead of possible relocation
US & Canada

GHF proposed 'transit areas' plan prior to Gaza residents 'relocation'

Lavrov: IAEA will be held accountable for pre-strike Iran assessments
Europe

IAEA to be held accountable for pre-strike Iran assessments: Lavrov

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS