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Regional crises and internal threats can sometimes create strange bedfellows, but there's nothing strange about the blossoming alliance between the State of Israel and the Gulf kingdoms led by Saudi Arabia.
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If there were any doubts regarding the alliance between Tel Aviv and Riyadh, a recent interview with Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, conducted by major Saudi newspaper Elaph, endeavours to dispel them.
During the interview with the privately owned paper – his first with an Arabic publication – Eizenkot said that Israel was ready to share “intelligence information” with Saudi Arabia, noting that the two countries have a common interest in standing up to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“We are ready to exchange experiences with Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab countries and exchange intelligence information to confront Iran. There are many shared interests between us and Saudi Arabia.
“The Iranian plan is to control the Middle East by means of two Shi’ite crescents, the first being from Iran to Lebanon and the second across the (Persian) Gulf to the Red Sea. We must stop that from happening. This is what should be prevented in the region. In this matter there is complete agreement between us and Saudi Arabia.”
Responding to a question on speculation that Israel may launch a military operation against Hezbollah, Eizenkot said: “We do not have any intention of initiating any offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and reaching a war, but we will not accept a strategic threat against Israel.”
Hezbollah has been credited with inflicting historic defeats on the Israelis in 2000 and 2006, as well as emerging from the Syrian Civil War with a wealth of combat experience.
The group is now one of the most battle-hardened, non-state military actors in the world, with an estimated 22,000 full-time and highly trained fighters; 25,000 reservists, and well over 100,000 missiles. "We see Iranian attempts at bringing about an escalation, but I don't see a high chance for this at the moment."
The latest announcement comes as the Israeli alliance with Saudi Arabia continues to grow more public amid rumors that the Saudis pleaded with Tel Aviv to attack Hezbollah, as well as government targets, in Lebanon.
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Saudi military forces and their allies remain mired in the quagmire of a two-year war on Yemen that has resulted in precious little in terms of military achievements while creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, according to U.N. officials.
In September, a senior officer in the Israeli military accused Tehran of providing anywhere from US$60-70 million to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Saudi Arabia still maintains that any relations with Israel hinge on Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.
Earlier this week, Israeli media suggested that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was urgently dispatched to Riyadh last week, was delivered an ultimatum by the prince to accept a yet-to-be-revealed White House “peace plan” favoring Israeli interests or to resign. He was also instructed to halt the ongoing rapprochement process between Palestinian factions Hamas and the president's Fatah movement.
Eizenkot also said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s election on a platform that calls for increasing pressure on Iran has provided an opportunity for new alliances in the Middle East.
Both Saudi Arabia and Israel view Iran as a main threat to their influence in the Middle East. Saudi-Iranian ties have plunged amid mutual acrimony surrounding accusations that that the two states support opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Iran has also enjoyed a string of victories in recent months, stirring up Saudi resentment over its inability to restrict Iran's hegemony.
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