A partial picture has emerged of the involvement of some Gulf countries in thwarting the Iranian retaliation launched against Israel on April 13. Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have denied they intercepted Iranian drones and missiles, unlike Jordan, and refrained from commenting on their contribution in terms of intelligence and surveillance.
Seen from the Gulf, the “strategic alliance against the Iranian threat” called for by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is a pipedream. After refusing to take part in the multinational naval force in the Red Sea against the Yemen’s Houthis, the Gulf petro-monarchies intend to distance themselves from the conflict. They are calling for restraint in the escalation between Israel and Iran, which could lead to a regional conflict involving their American ally and expose them to Iranian reprisals, devastating their stability and economy.
On the night of April 13 to 14, several Arab countries helped the US, Britain and France repel the 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran against Israel. After Israel attacked its consulate in Damascus on April 1, Iran gave them precious time to organize themselves under the US Central Command for the Middle East (CENTCOM). Several countries in the region, notably in the Gulf, have confirmed that Tehran informed them of its plans 72 hours in advance, although the United States has refuted this version of events.
Facing up
According to revelations in the American and Israeli press, the Gulf states let the US, United Kingdom and France use their bases in the region to deploy their air and naval assets, on condition that no projectiles were intercepted from their territory. Saudi Arabia reportedly authorized US Air Force aerial refueling aircraft to remain airborne in its airspace to support allied patrols.
The radars and early warning systems that the US maintains at its bases in the Gulf were used to track the progress of the Iranian projectiles. This information would have been supplemented by sensors in the Gulf countries, which are equipped with sophisticated radar systems (manufactured in the US, notably). Experts have not ruled out the possibility that Saudi Arabia may also have intercepted projectiles, as it has systematically done in the past when Houthi drones and missiles have entered its airspace.
This defensive front was presented, in Washington and Tel Aviv, as the first successful test of air and missile defense cooperation between the Arab states and Israel that the US is seeking to build, with the idea of forming a front against the Iranian threat. “This is propaganda. Israel is desperate to show that the Arab countries are on its side against Iran and are protecting it,” said Saudi expert Aziz Alghashian. Israel has come under heavy criticism for the devastating war it has been waging against Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, even from the UAE, with which it has normalized relations, and from Saudi Arabia, which is considering a similar move.
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