ISRAEL AND ITS “NEW“ ARAB ALLIES

BY DAVID OLIVER

Abrahms Accords

The Abraham Accords, formal declarations of diplomatic and economic normalisation, were signed by the leaders of Bahrain, Israel, the UAE and the United States in Washington DC in September 2020. These accords constituted a major event that could significantly influence the future of any Arab–Israeli conflict and strategic relationships in the wider region. Normalisation in the Gulf includes improved intelligence ties, cyber-warfare and other technology agreements. They were prompted by what the signature countries perceive as their common enemy, Iran. While Bahrain and the UAE have never been to war with Israel, the accords did not include Egypt and Jordan which had.

The Ministerial Conference for the Promotion of Peace and Security in the Middle East held in the Polish capital, Warsaw, in February 2019, was attended by Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and paved the way for their closer co-operation in the future.

The Israeli Air Force had been involved in participating in multi-national military training exercises with those neighbouring Arab States long before the accords were signed. In August 2016, Israeli and UAE pilots took part in a United States Air Force (USAF) Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, along with representatives from Pakistan for the first time.

The teams from the two countries that did not at the time have diplomatic relations with Israel nevertheless trained and co-operated with the Israeli aircrews during the exercises.

Red Flag Exercices

The Red Flag exercises, which began in 1975, are a series of two-week advanced aerial combat training events held several times a year by the USAF. Their aim was to offer realistic aircombat training for military pilots and other flight crewmembers from the United States and allied countries. Saudi Arabia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Singapore also took part in the second phase of Red Flag 2019. It was also customary for the Israeli Air Force to participate in that year’s exercises as well, but this was not announced by the Gulf States at the time.

During the Red Flag exercises, USAF commanders acknowledged the poor performance of Gulf air forces that took part, especially after their long experience with the Saudi-led intervention operation in Yemen’s civil war.

In April 2021 Israeli fighters flew alongside UAE Air Force (UAEAF) aircraft as part of a major international aerial exercise hosted by Greece, simulating air-to-air dogfights, large air strikes and rescue operations. This was not the first time that Israeli and Emirate pilots have flown with one another, they both participated in a similar Greek-led exercise in 2017 as the Red Flag exercise the year before, but it marked a rare case of open military co-operation between the two countries, even following the 2020 landmark normalisation agreement.

Iniochos The Greece Exercise

Seven countries joined Greece in Exercise Iniochos at Andravida Air Base, Canada, Cyprus, France, Spain, the United States as well as Israel and the UAE. According to the Israeli Air Force, the exercise was designed to simulate a variety of scenarios, including air-to-air combat, air strikes on land-based targets and evading attacks from surface-to-air missiles. “This exercise is an important milestone in the strategic international cooperation between the Israeli Air Force and the different countries through strengthening shared interests,” an Israeli military spokesman said. The Israeli contingent included F-15C Eagle and F-16C fighter aircraft, a Boeing KC-707 tanker and a Gulfstream G550 surveillance aircraft.

Exercise Iniochos did not have one overarching narrative or storyline, instead “each mission is its own self-contained scenario”, according to an Israeli Air Force F-16 navigator. He noted that the transit flights to and from Israel to Greece were in themselves a useful bit of training as it is a relatively long distance for the fighter jets to travel and required them to fly along civilian flight paths. For the Israeli pilots, the exercise provided a much-needed opportunity to train over significantly different terrain than they were used to and at extremely low altitudes that they were not used to, below 200 metres. “It prepares you for things that you may deal with operationally,” he added.

Through such exercises abroad, Israeli pilots gain experience operating in conditions unlike those inside the limited geographical boundaries of Israel. Flying alongside foreign air forces also requires Israeli aircrews to learn how to communicate in languages other than Hebrew. In addition, international exercises present a strategic opportunity for Israel to create and improve diplomatic relations with foreign nations.

In previous years, Israeli aircrews used the aerial exercises in Greece as a way to practice against and learn about the Hellenic Air Force’s Russian S-300PMU1 long-range surface-to-air missile system, which is also used by Iran and Syria.

Integration Of New Unmaned Systems

In September 2021, Bahrain agreed to partner with US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) to accelerate the integration of new unmanned systems into regional maritime operations. In November 2021, the Bahrain Navy participated in a naval training exercise alongside ships from Israel, UAE and the United States. The exercise was viewed as a message to Iran and a challenge to their agenda of regional entrenchment. The five-day exercise began in the Red Sea and aimed to enhance maritime and military cooperation. The exercise was announced by the US (NAVCENT) and was the first time the sides have publicly acknowledged naval exercise between them. The exercise was focused on visit, board, search and seizure tactics. The training was designed to enhance interoperability between participating forces’ maritime interdiction teams.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, said: “It is exciting to see US forces training with regional partners to enhance our collective maritime security capabilities. Maritime collaboration helps safeguard freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade, which are essential to regional security and stability.” An Israeli military official said the drills were aimed at keeping shipping lanes safe, especially from Iran.

The naval exercise attested to the growing trust between the militaries and their shared concerns over Iran’s regional agenda and nuclear programme. Following the signing of the accords, in September the US moved Israel from US European Command to the regionally focused Central Command.

Earlier that week, Iran announced its own large-scale military drill, east of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media quoted Iranian Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi saying: “The military exercise in Iran’s coast on the Gulf of Oman aims to display the country’s military might and readiness to confront our enemies.” Iran also broadcast video footage of the launching of a Qader ballistic missile which they claimed can reach targets of up to 300 kilometres.

In October 2021 Israel held its largest-ever air force exercise, joined by several Western countries and India, with the UAEAF’s chief invited as an observer to the exercises. Amir Lazar, chief of Israeli Air Force operations, told reporters at the Israeli Air Force’s southern Ovda Air Force Base, that while the exercises “did not focus on Iran”, Israel Defense Force (IDF) officials have said the Islamic republic remains Israel’s top strategic threat and at the centre of much of its military planning.

Israel has held the Blue Flag exercises every two years since 2013 in the Negev desert. With more than 70 fighter aircraft, including Israeli F-35Is, F-15Ds and F-16Cs, French Rafales, UK Typhoons, Italian F-35s and G550 early warning aircraft, German Typhoons, Greek F-16s, and Indian Mirage 2000s, and some 1,500 personnel participating, the 2021 exercises were the largest-ever held in Israel, While UAE aircraft are not flying in the exercises, Lazar said the visit from the country’s air force chief was “very significant” and that Israel “was looking forward to hosting the Emirates Air Force” in the future.

One of the Blue Flag exercise’s aims was to synchronise different types of aircraft, piloted by different countries to counter armed drones and other threats. Major General Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi, commander of the UAEAF, made the previously unannounced appearance during a multinational Blue Flag exercise. “This is a truly historic day with tremendous significance for the future of co-operation between our air forces,” his Israeli counterpart, Major General Amikam Norkin, said. “I look at aerial diplomacy and the relations between us as a bridge to regional stability. What we do between us, between the Air Force commanders, is a bridge and foundation that nations can work upon on other issues.” The statement did not elaborate on how such co-operation might look in the future.

During Exercise Blue Flag, Israeli Air Force F-15s had escorted two USAF B-1B Lancer strategic heavy bomber aircraft and a KC-10A Extender tanker over Israeli airspace on their way to the Gulf. It was the second such flight in two weeks. According to an Israel Defense Force (IDF) statement, it was “a significant step in maintaining the security of the skies of the State of Israel and the Middle East”.

The Participation Of The Royal Saudi Air Force In Similar Patrol Missions

Earlier Israeli and Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) fighter aircraft participated in a similar Presence Patrol mission on 30 October 2021, accompanying a US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula and attempting to send a deterrence message to Tehran.

Saudi Arabia’s willingness to join a military mission involving Israel was the latest indication that the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran are incentivising some Arab capitals to take cautious steps toward overt security co-operation with Israel. The B-1B flew in or near the airspace of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, while skirting along almost the entire southern maritime border of Iran. It flew over the strategic Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman. These waterways mark some of the world’s busiest shipping routes and have been plagued by numerous recent Iranian-sponsored attacks on oil tankers and nearby refineries.

Saudi Arabia, however, unlike Bahrain and the UAE, has not formally normalised relations with Israel and the B-1B flight represented only the second time that Riyadh has participated in a US bomber patrol mission that included Israeli aircraft. In March 2021, two USAF B-52H Stratofortress bombers had flown a similar patrol in the Middle East and were accompanied at different points by Israeli, Saudi and Qatari aircraft.

In the meantime, RSAF air crews have been participating in a number of exercises with NATO air forces. In November 2022 they participated in a bilateral exercise with the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) when the RSAF deployed F-15C/D Eagles from Taïf/King Fahd Air Base to the 115th Fighter Wing based at Souda Air Base on Crete, Greece’s largest island in the Mediterranean, for the third in a series of annual Falcon-Eye exercises. Different types of missions in various areas in Greek and international airspace, against various types of aircraft, were flown during the exercise. To achieve this, HAF F-4E Phantom and Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft were flown from different air bases in a variety of roles, as friendly as well as opposing forces at times, to enhance the training value of the exercise.

As well as participating in military training exercises, the UAE and Bahrain are moving to closer co-operation with Israel’s defence industries. In November 2021, it was announced that UAE-owned defence company EDGE and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed an agreement to jointly design a first-in-class series of modularunmanned surface vessels (USV) for a range of military and commercial applications. Military applications for the USV include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, border and littoral zone patrol, maritime security operations, mine detection and sweeping, submarine detection and anti-submarine warfare. Bahrain became the first Gulf country to sign a defence co-operation agreement with Israel in the first quarter of 2022. The country has also announced that it is planning to purchase radar and anti-drone systems from a company affiliated with IAI.