Israeli Army Chief Meets with Counterparts from Five Arab Countries

The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army visited Bahrain to meet with his counterparts from the host country, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan to discuss security arrangements related to the Gaza Strip. These meetings occur while Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Bahrain have publicly criticized Israel since the onset of the Gaza war, despite maintaining full diplomatic relations with it. Saudi Arabia has also criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza war in support of Gazan civilians. Axios and Israeli website Wall News reported on Wednesday, June 13, that Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi's visit to Bahrain took place earlier this week. The report indicates that General Michael Eric Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, organized this six-party meeting between the Israeli Army Chief and the generals of the Arab countries, but due to regional and political sensitivities arising from the ongoing war, the news was not made public. CENTCOM and the Israeli Army did not respond to this report. Bahrain, hosting the largest U.S. military force in the Middle East and the Gulf, publicly upgraded its military and security cooperation with Israel to full diplomatic relations as part of the peace agreements known as the 'Abraham Accords' during Donald Trump's administration. Israeli political leaders and military commanders have repeatedly visited Manama over the years as relations between Israel and Bahrain have grown, including appearances on U.S. Navy ships stationed in Bahrain. Following the attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7 last year, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 253 others to Gaza, open communications between Israeli political and military leaders and Bahrain and some other Arab countries seemingly came to a halt. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the European Union. Bahrain, the UAE, and Jordan have cold relations with Hamas, while Qatar, hosting several leaders of the group, has been one of the main mediators in indirect negotiations with Israel alongside Egypt during the Gaza war, with U.S. support. According to Axios, this week's meeting in Bahrain indicates that military dialogues and cooperation between Israel and Arab countries have continued under CENTCOM's oversight, despite severe public criticism and condemnation of Israel's military operations in Gaza. U.S. officials have stated that cooperation with Israel and Arab countries in the region helped gather intelligence and receive early warnings regarding the prevention of missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran on Israel on April 14 this year. The active participation of Jordan and Saudi Arabia in intelligence cooperation regarding Iran has assisted Israel in intercepting and destroying over 300 missiles and suicide drones that the Islamic Republic fired during that military attack on Israel. Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor, and Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, who have made multiple trips to Saudi Arabia during the Gaza war, have stated that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza will pave the way for establishing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia as well. On June 14, the Israeli Army announced that the forces of the 162nd Division continued their battles in the Rafah area and destroyed rocket launchers discovered in the region along with several Hamas members. This operation was conducted in cooperation with the Air Force and the Givati Brigade of the army. Israel added that Hamas forces involved in the October 7 attack on Israel were identified and killed at an operational base in Rafah. The Israeli Army began operations at the Rafah border and in limited areas of this southern Gaza city last month. However, the army rejected reports from Palestinian sources regarding an attack on the al-Mawasi area around Rafah, where tens of thousands of displaced persons have settled. Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing a Hamas official without naming him, that the group believes the changes made to the ceasefire proposal are 'minor' and negotiations can continue on it. The ceasefire plan proposed by Israel was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden two weeks ago. Hamas has altered the provisions regarding the timing of the ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli Army from Gaza, including Rafah and the corridor known as Philadelphi, and has also requested written guarantees from Turkey, China, and Russia, in addition to the U.S., that Israel will not engage in any military operations in Gaza. Israeli officials have deemed the changes made by Hamas to the plan that Israel had agreed to as excessive and unacceptable, urging Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from sending a negotiating delegation to Qatar or Egypt. On the 251st day of the Gaza war, Israeli and Hezbollah attacks on each other's positions continued. Hezbollah, after the killing of Taleb Abdullah, known as Abu Taleb, one of its senior commanders in an Israeli attack on a house in the town of Joya, has seemingly increased its attacks on Israel for revenge. On Thursday, the sound of warning sirens indicating a rocket attack or enemy drone infiltration echoed across large areas of northern Israel. On Wednesday, coinciding with a religious holiday in Israel, at least 170 rockets were fired toward northern Israel, causing no casualties but resulting in property damage and fires. In a Tuesday night airstrike by the Israeli Air Force in the town of Joya, three other senior Hezbollah commanders, including Taleb Abdullah's deputy, were killed. These Hezbollah field commanders maintained close communications with Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, following their extensive cooperation with the deceased Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. The Biden administration expressed concern this week about the potential for Hezbollah-Israel conflicts to escalate into a broader war in Lebanon and opposed it. The commander of the Lebanese Army is set to travel to the U.S. for negotiations on this matter in the coming days. Channel 14, an Israeli television network supportive of Netanyahu's government, reported on Wednesday night that political and military officials in the country are nearing the assessment that a serious military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon should be initiated, and the war in Gaza, following the destruction of thousands of Hamas members and their units, is no longer a 'secondary issue.'