‘Israel’ to establish four-nation defense alliance With Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain
‘Israel’ is currently in talks with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in establishing a four-nation defense alliance, according to a i24NEWS report.
Unnamed Israeli officials who spoke with i24NEWS would not confirm the details of the report, but added that “Israel is constantly working to improve its relations with its Arab neighbors.”
The UAE and Bahrain signed normalization deals with ‘Israel’ in September 2020 which known as the Abraham Accords.
The defense alliance talks likely come in response to the “growing Iranian threat” in the region, specifically regarding its budding nuclear program along with its expanding influence in the Middle East with countries like Syria and Iraq, the report said.
Such news also come as the Biden administration sends signals to Tehran and world powers that it is ready to rejoin the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, brokered by former President Barack Obama, which Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed at the time.
Also, Netanyahu said on Thursday that he has accepted an invitation by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to visit the Gulf state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Crown Prince reiterated his invitation for the PM to visit Bahrain; the leaders determined that at the first opportunity that morbidity permits, PM Netanyahu will visit Bahrain.
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) February 25, 2021
The prime minister’s office issued a statement saying that Netanyahu will travel to Bahrain “as soon as possible,” once COVID-19 restrictions would allow it.
They also talked about the return to nuclear talks with Iran, Bahrain’s state-run news agency reported.
Prince Salman stressed to Netanyahu “the importance of the participation of regional countries in any negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file” to support “security and stability in the region,” according to the official Bahrain News Agency.
