The Wall Street Journal report cited a senior Bahraini official as saying that the Mossad and Shin Bet have been working with Manama in recent months to train intelligence officers. The same official told the Wall Street Journal that Israel has agreed to sell drones as well as anti-drone systems to the country. The report did not specify what kind of drones or defense equipment would be included in the deal. Iran-backed groups have been accused of attacking Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries with attack drones, sometimes crashing them into oil refineries, airports and elsewhere. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Israel and Bahrain normalized ties in 2020 as part of the US-sponsored Abraham Accords, which also established diplomatic relations between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates. The agreement paved the way for normalization with Morocco months later. Continuing the work started by his predecessor, the administration of US President Joe Biden aims to further expand cooperation between Israel and Arab nations, especially Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region. The Journal previously reported on a US-hosted summit in Egypt involving top officials from Israel and aligned Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, aimed at forging an alliance to counter threats from Iran. Biden is due to visit Israel on Wednesday and then head to Saudi Arabia. On Monday, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz said on Monday that Israel would step up Biden’s progress toward building a regional military alliance. Gantz spoke of US-led efforts to create a regional air defense pact between Israel and its Arab allies in the region, against the threat of Iranian drones and missiles. Countries in such an alliance reportedly include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The pact, dubbed by Gantz, “MEAD — Middle East Air Defense,” is intended to link air defense systems to counter Iran’s growing use of drones and missiles in the Middle East. Gantz said last week that there could be a possible “cut” in efforts during Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, which begins on Wednesday. A senior Israeli official said late Tuesday that tangible developments in the budding Israeli-Saudi relationship would be announced during Biden’s visit. The official said Israel is acting as if “the steps we are taking now will only be the beginning, the beginning of the normalization process between the countries.” But US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan played down hopes of a breakthrough at a briefing to reporters at the White House on Monday. Responding to recent talk of possible regional cooperation against his country, a senior Iranian official said on Monday that the efforts were doomed to fail, citing the difficulties of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. “It is very easy to predict his possible fate [so-called] Arab NATO,” Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said, according to state-run Press TV. “Compared to previous coalitions, the new alliance will be even weaker and lack effectiveness against the resistance front and the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Iran has also threatened to strike the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain if they allow Israeli military installations on their soil, the report said. Join our Israeli cooking experience! Israeli cooking is stirring the world. Here’s your chance to join… The Times of Israel community is excited to introduce our new virtual cooking series, B’Teavon, where world-renowned chefs show you how to make classic and modern Israeli dishes. Learn more Learn more Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horovitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
