Report: IDF Chief of Staff Eisenkot met with Saudi counterpart
Eisenkot was reported to have discussed Iran with Saudi Arabia’s Chief of Staff Gen. Fayyad.
Gadi Eisenkot met with his counterparts from several Arab countries
while in Washington for the Counter–Violent Extremist Organizations
conference for military commanders, Israeli media reported Tuesday
evening.
According to a report by Israel’s KAN public television, Eisenkot met
with Saudi Arabia’s Chief of Staff Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili on
Tuesday on the sidelines of the conference about several regional
issues, including Iran, which is a common foe to the two countries.A
statement released by the IDF had said that Eisenkot would meet with
military officials from both the US and other foreign military
officials, it did not specify which military leaders he would meet with.
While this seems to be the first publicized meeting between Eisenkot and
al-Ruwaili, it is the second consecutive year that the two officers
attended the Counter–Violent Extremist Organizations conference for
military commanders, where the two are believed to have also spoken
about Iran.
Last November following Eisenkot’s first participation in the conference
he gave an unprecedented interview to the Saudi Elaph newspaper based
in London and offered to share Israeli intelligence about Iran with
Riyadh, telling the newspaper that what he heard from the Saudis about
Iranian expansion was “identical” to Israeli concerns.
“We are ready to exchange experiences with Saudi Arabia and other
moderate Arab countries and exchange intelligence to confront Iran,” he
said, adding that “there are many shared interests between us and Saudi
Arabia.”
Calling for a new international alliance in the Middle East, Eisenkot
stated that there needs to be “a large, comprehensive strategic plan to
stop the Iranian threat. This is what should be prevented in the
region,” he said, adding that “in this matter there is complete
agreement between us and Saudi Arabia.”In addition to the meeting with
al-Ruwaili, Eisenkot was seen in a photo released by the Department of
Defense of a dinner during the conference seated at the same table as
the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohamed Farid, the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Jordan Lt.-Gen.Mahmoud Abdul
Halim Freihat, as well as the Chief of Staff of Bahrain, Lt.-Gen. Dhiab
bin Saqr Al Nuaimi.
While Israel has no official ties with Saudi Arabia or Bahrain, the
relationship with the Sunni Kingdom and other Gulf States has grown
stronger in recent years, due in large part to the shared threat of
Iran’s expansion across the region.
Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are at their worst in years with
both accusing the other of subverting regional security. Saudi Arabia's
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman caused an uproar earlier this year
when he recognized Israel's right to exist.
Last November a spokesperson for Yemeni rebels accused Israel of taking
part in the Saudi Arabia led-coalition against Yemen and warned that
Israeli military bases in Africa are within range of Houthi missiles.
The Houthis, which are armed by Iran, have also fired several ballistic
missiles into Saudi Arabia, including one which targeted the Saudi
capital Riyadh a day before US President Donald Trump visited the
Kingdom last May.
In September the Emirati news website al-Khaleej reported that Saudi
Arabia had purchased Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system to defend
itself from Houthi missile attacks. The deal, which was reportedly
mediated by the United States included further plans to reach an
agreement on broad military cooperation between the two countries.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Rafael which manufactures the system, denied the report.
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