Israel eyeing UAE military cooperation in the Red Sea: report

Israel eyeing UAE military cooperation in the Red Sea: report
Israel is reportedly hoping for military cooperation with the UAE in the Red Sea following a controversial normalisation deal between both countries.
1 min read
18 August, 2020
The UAE-Israeli deal reportedly paves the way for military cooperation in the Red Sea [AFP]
An official Israeli document revealed that the UAE-Israeli peace deal paves the way for military and security cooperation between both countries in the Red Sea, Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

The document, which was reportedly issued by Israel's ministry of intelligence, states that the normalisation agreement raises the possibility of strengthening a military alliance between Gulf countries, as well as intensifying cooperation on the security of the Red Sea.

The UAE and Israel announced last Thursday that they would normalise relations under a 'historic' US-sponsored deal, making the emirates the third Arab state - after Egypt and Jordan – to form diplomatic ties with the country.

Israeli defence firms have said the UAE-Israel normalisation deal will likely lead to an increase in the sale of arms, cybersecurity and command-and-control systems to Gulf states.

According to Israeli media reports, the area Israel stands to gain the most economically from UAE ties is defence and cybersecurity, as the Gulf country boasts an estimated annual defence budget of $23 billion.

On Tuesday, Yossi Cohen, head of Israel's spy agency, met with UAE National Security Adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi to discuss "cooperation in the fields of security", according to the official WAM news agency.

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