Secret meeting of US, Israel and Arab military chiefs on Iran

The military chiefs of the United States, Israel and several Arab countries have met in a secret meeting in Germany amid the ongoing war with Iran and regional tensions. Citing two Israeli officials, US media outlet Axios has reported that the meeting was organized by US Central Command (Centcom) commander Admiral Brad Cooper. However, no formal announcement was made in advance by any country regarding the meeting.

This is the first such high-level military meeting after the United States and Israel became involved in the war against Iran. The meeting creates a rare opportunity for direct exchange of views for the military chiefs of several Gulf Arab countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Besides Admiral Brad Cooper, the military chiefs of Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt participated in the meeting. Cooper assured the participants that US forces will not be withdrawn from the Middle East despite Iranian attacks on US bases. He also discussed plans to increase commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

One Israeli official informed that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir gave an overall idea about the IDF’s military operations on various fronts at the meeting.

Centcom has confirmed the meeting in a statement. It said hospitality was provided to senior military leaders of eight countries at a scheduled conference held in Germany to discuss opportunities to increase security cooperation in the Middle East.

Military cooperation between Israel and other countries in the region continued to increase after the Abraham Accords were signed in September 2020. After the accords, Israel was moved from under the US European Command (USEUCOM) to under Centcom. This made it easier for Israel to work jointly with Arab countries in the field of air and missile defence.

Amid the ongoing war, Israel has deployed its own Iron Dome system and personnel in the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, it is also providing real-time intelligence and surveillance assistance to the country, the report mentioned.