Several Arab countries deepened their military ties with Israel during the Gaza war despite public criticism, according to a new report.
The Washington Post noted that, over the past years, senior military officials from Israel and six Arab countries, including Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain, held several planning meetings across the region.
The ties became strained after Israel's strike in Qatar that sought to kill Hamas leaders, but could again come into play in negotiations over the handling of Gaza after the ceasefire in the enclave and the release of Israeli hostages.
The outlet noted that the 200 U.S. troops deployed to Israel to provide support to the ceasefire agreement will be joined by soldiers from the Arab countries that took part in these meetings. The Arab forces are set to take part in the mission that will also be tasked with training a new Palestinian police force.
The countries said they supported a mechanism that "guarantees the security of all sides," but didn't formally commit to deploying soldiers.
The closer ties between the countries are mostly a result of Iran's growing threat to the security of the region, reads a passage of the piece. One document discussed in a meeting in Qatar describes Iran and its allied militias as the "Axis of Evil."
Another meeting close to Nashville included sessions where U.S. forces trained partners on how to detect and neutralize underground tunnels, a staple of Hamas' activity in Gaza.
However, Arab leaders have been extremely critical of Israel in public, and the attack against Hamas leaders in Qatar strained ties. Despite this, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) continues to work toward fostering closer ties between the nations, the outlet noted.
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