Israel joint missile defence
with Persian Gulf partners

Israel could be open to future cooperation on missile defence with Persian Gulf Arab states that share its concerns about Iran, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday.

But Moshe Patel, who heads the Israeli Missile Defence (War) Organisation that is part of the Defence (war) Ministry, said it was still premature to pursue any such deals. He said Washington's approval would be needed if Israeli systems developed with US technology were involved.

"Things can be done, maybe in the future," Patel told reporters when asked whether any of the systems might be offered to Israel's new partners in the Persian Gulf, or synchronised with comparable systems there.

"From an engineering point of view, of course, there is a lot of advantage. That information can be shared, like sensors that can be deployed in both countries because we have the same enemies."

Jitters about Iran were a driver of a US-brokered pact on September 15 formalising relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the first time. Saudi Arabia has encouraged the rapprochement while holding off on having its own bilateral ties with Israel for now.

Prior to those deals, a senior Israeli official had told Reuters there would be no coordination on missile defence with Persian Gulf countries.

Patel's briefing was called to announce what he said was the successful live test of a multi-tiered Israeli missile defence system that could hit targets flying at different altitudes – and allow for any targets initially missed to be re-engaged.

The lowest tier is made up of the Iron Dome short-range rocket interceptor, which Israel said had also shot down cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The US Army has received one Iron Dome battery from Israel, with another one on order, Patel said.

Israel imbricates Iron Dome with the mid-range interceptor David's Sling, and with the Arrow system, which shoots down ballistic missiles – including in space.

The statements of the Zionist official about the establishment of the regime's missile defense system in the Persian Gulf can be considered in the direction of publicizing relations with Zionist regime against Iran. It is not talking about reopening the embassy or exchanging ambassadors and canceling visas between Israel and an Arab country near the borders of Iran, but is a far more important issue, namely the establishment of missile defense and radar systems of the Zionist regime nearby Iran. This issue highlights the need for greater vigilance about the dangerous goals of publicizing Arab-Zionist relations.

It seems that the American and Israeli think tanks trying to have implemented a puzzle-like design in the region and every time replace a piece of it.

The most dangerous and different parts of this issue is that the American- Zionist axis announced the details of it in the past when implementing its regional plans such as the New Middle East. But in the new developments that have taken place in the region, there are no roadmaps and details, and what is being implemented seems to be a non-public, mysterious and, of course, purposeful project.