Defense Minister Gantz tells reporters that since the Abraham Accords were signed, Israeli security officials held about 150 meetings with their regional counterparts and that ‘deals worth over $3 billion have been signed with countries in the region’
Israel intends to demand that President Joe Biden strengthen regional cooperation against Iran during his visit to the country next week, as talks with world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal are expected to resume soon.
Furthermore, the defense establishment will ask Biden to adhere to the sanctions imposed on Tehran during the talks. Israel also seeks to leverage Biden’s visit to bolster its ties with Saudi Arabia, as part of the regional cooperation against Iran.
Israel believes that the nuclear talks will resume after Biden’s visit to the
Mideast, and the defense establishment seeks to influence the agreement as much as possible. A senior security official said Wednesday that “Israel is preparing for the possibility that no agreement will be reached or that a bad deal will be reached.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz has urged for tighter regional cooperation against Iran a week ahead of Biden’s visit to Israel, saying that the Islamic Republic’s proxies are carrying out more operations against the Gulf states than against Israel.
Speaking in a press briefing on Thursday, Gantz said: “If we were to count drones and missiles launched – we would see that Iran’s proxies are operating more against the Gulf states than against Israel. This is yet another reason to deepen regional cooperation – in aerial and maritime defense, as well as other fields.”
Israel’s multi-tier air defenses were presented during the briefing to military reporters.
Gantz went on to say that Biden’s visit to Israel “also conveys a message to Iran, and the fact that the president will visit Israel and Saudi Arabia during his Mideast tour strengthens Israel’s status [in the region].”
The defense minister also mentioned that since the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020, Israeli security officials held about 150 meetings with their regional counterparts. Gantz stressed that “deals worth over $3 billion have been signed with countries in the region” since the signing of the accords.
During his stay in Israel, Biden is expected to visit the Defense Ministry Department of Production and Procurement, which oversees the production and manufacturing of aerial defense systems. Israel will also ask Biden for additional backing in aerial defense systems, which operate against Iranian threats.
Tensions have been rising with Hezbollah following Israel’s interception of four drones – which Israeli military sources believe were headed for the Karish gas field in territory that is disputed by Lebanon – over the Mediterranean Sea last week. This too will probably come up during Biden’s visit, and Israeli security officials intend to clarify that any damage caused to Israel’s gas reservoirs will trigger harsh response from Israel against Lebanon, not just Hezbollah.
“It needs to be said that Hezbollah is Iran’s proxy, and that their weapons are manufactured in Iran,”Gantz told reporters.