Exclusive: Israel in talks to establish 4-nation defense alliance with Saudi, UAE and Bahrain

i24NEWS

February 25, 2021, 09:22 AMlatest revision February 25, 2021, 10:43 AM

 2 min read

Bahrain FM Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, (left), Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, on September 15, 2020.AP Photo/Alex BrandonBahrain FM Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, (left), Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, on September 15, 2020.

Jerusalem does not have official diplomatic relations with Riyadh but is thought to have clandestine ties

Jerusalem is currently in talks with the kingdoms of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in establishing a four-nation defense alliance, according to an exclusive i24NEWS report.

While Jerusalem does not have official diplomatic relations with Riyadh, foreign media report that the two countries have long-standing clandestine ties.

However, the UAE and Bahrain, signed a historic normalization deal with Israel in September 2020 known as the US-brokered Abraham Accords. 

The reported 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.

News of the reported talks comes as the newly 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 vehemently opposed at the time.

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