ARAB AND WORLD
Tue 16 Apr 2024 10:05 am - Jerusalem Time
Israeli “reassurance” messages to Arab countries in the region regarding the response to the Iranian attack
In light of the extreme sensitivity of Arab regimes in the region regarding their position on the direct confrontation between Iran and Israel and the possibilities of its escalation, Tel Aviv is delivering reassuring messages to its partners in the region that its response to Iran will not embarrass them or endanger the stability of their regimes.
An Israeli report said today, Tuesday, that Israel was keen to deliver a message of reassurance to Arab countries in the region regarding its possible response to the unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel, stating that it “will not expose it or its ruling regimes to danger.”
This came according to what was reported by the Israeli public radio (“Kan - Reshet Bet”), indicating “serious concerns” among Arab regimes in the region regarding the expected Israeli response to the Iranian attack, “which it participated in, in one way or another, in thwarting.”
According to the report, the main fears of these regimes are that the Israeli response may call for an Iranian counter-response in light of “Iranian threatening messages that any country that may open its lands or airspace to an Israeli attack against Iran will enter the targeting circle.”
It said, "A direct battle between Israel and Iran may drag Iraq into the picture and affect Jordan and its stability." He considered that "the UAE and Saudi Arabia fear being drawn into the circle of targeting by the Houthis in Yemen or directly by Iran, against the backdrop of the confrontation between Israel and Iran."
The report noted that “the participation of Arab countries in repelling the Iranian attack fuels a media campaign against the regimes of these countries in which the pro-Iranian camp wins.”
Therefore, according to the report, “Israel takes into account, in calculating its response to Iran, not to show its partners in the Gulf or Jordan and Egypt as ‘cooperating with Israel’.”
It added that these countries "are well aware of the seriousness of the Iranian threat, which, as it intensifies, will reach them, but on the other hand, these countries have restrictions and sensitivities related to the stability of the rule of their regimes and local public opinion that is hostile to Israel, even if it does not feel affection towards Iran."
The report considered that “these reasons make it too early to speak in terms such as ‘alliance’ or regional ‘pact’ even after the Iranian attack.”
The formation of a tactical alliance led by the United States and including the United Kingdom, France, and countries in the region, such as Jordan, is a project that Israel has been seeking to achieve for several years.
The United States, Israel's strongest ally, has previously announced that it does not want a "large-scale war with Iran" and warned that it will not participate in any retaliatory operation against the Islamic Republic.
Although France and the United Kingdom participated in confronting the Iranian attack, the two countries distanced themselves from any Israeli retaliation.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron ruled out his country's participation in any response, while French President Emmanuel Macron called for avoiding "ignition" of the region.
For its part, Iran announced that it had turned the page and that “the issue is over,” but it warned Israel that “any reckless behavior will receive a stronger and more resolute response.”
A diplomat in one of the countries of the region expressed, in statements to Agence France-Presse, his "satisfaction" that the positions of extremists in Israel, such as Itamar Ben Gvir, who called for an "overwhelming response" to Iran, were not reflected on the ground of the situation.
The diplomat added, "We tell them to work together to contain the escalation. You have a chance in the form of public sympathy."
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Israeli “reassurance” messages to Arab countries in the region regarding the response to the Iranian attack