Israel has agreed to sell unmanned aerial vehicles and anti-drone systems to Bahrain, Tuesday said, and Jerusalem will report progress on an initiative to form a Middle East military alliance to fight Iran.
The Wall Street Journal report quoted a senior Bahraini official as saying the Mossad and Shin Bet had worked with Manama to train its intelligence officers in recent months.
The same official told the Wall Street Journal that Israel has agreed to sell drones and anti-drone systems to the country.
The report did not specify what type of drone or defense equipment the deal would involve.
Iran-backed groups have been accused of using attack drones to attack Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries, sometimes crashing them into oil refineries, airports and elsewhere.
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Israel and Bahrain normalized ties in 2020 under the US-sponsored Abraham Accords, which also established diplomatic ties between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates. The deal paved the way for normalization with Morocco months later.
US President Joe Biden’s administration is continuing the work started by his predecessor, seeking to further expand cooperation between Israel and the Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region.
The Journal previously reported on a US-organized defense summit in Egypt, attended by senior officials from Israel and allied Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, with the aim of forging an alliance to counter threats from Iran.
Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday and travel from there to Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz said Israel will update Biden on progress in building a regional military alliance.
Gantz has spoken of US-led efforts to forge a regional air defense pact between Israel and its Arab allies in the region against the threat of Iranian drones and missiles. The countries in such an alliance would reportedly include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Dubbed “MEAD – Middle East Air Defense” by Gantz, the pact aims to link air defense systems to combat Iran’s increasing use of drones and missiles in the Middle East.
Gantz said last week there could be a possible “breakthrough” in efforts during Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, which is due to begin Wednesday.
A senior Israeli official said late Tuesday that specific developments in the burgeoning Israeli-Saudi relationship will be announced during Biden’s visit.
The official said Israel is acting as if “the steps we are taking now will only be the beginning, the beginning of the normalization process between countries.”
However, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan downplayed hopes of a breakthrough in a briefing to reporters at the White House on Monday.
Responding to recent rumors of possible regional cooperation against his country, a senior Iranian officer said Monday the effort was doomed to failure, citing the difficulties of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in the country Yemen.
“It is fairly easy to predict the possible fate of the [so-called] Arab NATO,” Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said, according to state-run Press TV. “Compared to the previous coalitions, the new alliance will be even weaker and ineffective against the Resistance Front and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran has also threatened to hit the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain if they allow Israeli military installations on their territory, the report said.
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