Israel’s snap election grants Iran another six months to further its nuclear goal

The reported Israel-Arab top brass meeting under US auspices for coordination against Iranian air and missile aggression (WSJ of June 27) may have conveyed the impression of brisk progress towards establishing a Middle East Air Defense Alliance in time for President Joe Biden’s visit to the region next month. The top-secret talks at Sharm el-Sheikh in March were attended by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and, together for the first time, the Israeli and Saudi chiefs of staff, Lt. Gen, Kochavi and Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al Ruwaili. (See photo)

But hurdles remain before the project’s takeoff.

Further advanced is naval coordination, which went into action earlier this month in the Red Sea region, where an Israeli fleet of a Dolphin submarine and missile ships joined US and Arab warships in an exercise for securing control of this highly strategic stretch of water.

The Biden administration is keen on the regional aerial coordination project in view of Iran’s air strikes against Saudi and United Arab Emirates, followed last year by a pair of armed drones that the US air force intercepted over Iraq on their way to Israel.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz this week tried to inject momentum into the program when he insisted that the joint air command of the US, Arab allies and Israel had already thwarted Iranian attacks. He declined to offer examples. READ MORE