New Delhi. Top military commanders from the US, Israel and seven Arab countries held a private meeting in Germany last week. The ongoing war with Iran and the growing security crisis in the Middle East were discussed in this meeting. This information has been given in the Axios report quoting two Israeli officials.
The high-level meeting, hosted by US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, was not officially announced by any of the participating governments. It was the first summit of its kind more than six months after the US and Israel engaged in war with Iran.
The meeting was attended by senior military officials from Israel as well as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt. This meeting is also considered important because many of these Arab countries do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
US Central Command later confirmed that it hosted senior military leaders from eight countries at a scheduled conference in Germany aimed at enhancing regional security cooperation in the Middle East.
According to the report, Admiral Brad Cooper assured commanders that the US military has no intention of withdrawing its forces from the region despite the Iranian attacks. He also briefed on Washington's strategy to increase maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir gave a detailed update on the ongoing Israeli military operations on several fronts.
Military cooperation between Israel and various Arab countries has steadily increased following the Abraham Accords of the 2020s, especially in the fields of air and missile defense. Israel has closely cooperated with the United Arab Emirates and the United States in defensive and offensive operations during the war. According to Israeli officials, Israel has deployed its Iron Dome system in the UAE and also provided significant intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support.
The meeting comes as Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia have intensified and they are expanding their territorial control around the Bab al-Mandeb strait. According to Axios' source, Israel and Saudi Arabia are also discussing possible Israeli assistance for Saudi military operations against the Houthis, including intelligence and surveillance assistance, with the active participation of US Central Command.