American General: Cooperation between Israel and Arab countries in missile defense - a high priority for the USA - voila! news

2022-07-22T03:47:38.560Z

In a conversation with Walla, the commander of American forces in the Middle East refuted the claims that the US is abandoning the region and emphasized that the integration of the air defense systems of Israel and the Arab countries was called "critical". However, he emphasized that this is a process that will take time. "The Abraham Accords serve security in the region "

American general: cooperation between Israel and Arab countries in missile defense - a high priority for the US

Barak Ravid

20/07/2022

Wednesday, July 20, 2022, 5:43 p.m. Updated: Friday, July 22, 2022, 6:42 a.m.

Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on Twitter
Share by email
Share in general
Comments
Comments

In the video: Biden took off from Saudi Arabia and ended his visit to the Middle East (Photo: Reuters)

Cooperation between Israel and Arab countries in the field of air defense and missile defense is a high priority for the United States, as the commander of the United States Army's Central Command (CENTCOM) General Michael Korilla, who visited Israel this week, told Walla.

why is it important

Missile and drone attacks by Iran and the terrorist organizations it supports in the region have become the main threat to the United States, Israel and Arab countries.
To deal with this threat, the Biden administration wants to strengthen the cooperation between Israel and the Arab countries by combining the early warning, intelligence and interception capabilities of as many countries in the region as possible.

In the news center

General Korilla visited Israel on Sunday after he arrived from a visit to Jordan and the A-Tanf base in southern Syria where American soldiers are stationed.
This is Corilla's fifth visit to the region since taking office at the beginning of the year and his second visit to Israel in the last two months.
During his visit to Israel, the commander of the United States Army's Central Command met with Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, but he also met junior officers and soldiers operating air defense systems such as Iron Dome and Arrow.
According to him, the meetings with the more junior officers allowed him to understand the Israeli strategy from a different angle and the point of view of the soldiers in the field.
"It wasn't a series of PowerPoint presentations in the office," Korilla said.
"I visited IDF bases and operations rooms and spoke with the soldiers who operate Israel's defense systems.
It was an in-depth discussion about innovation and technology."

good to know (in advance)

Due to growing demand for effective pain treatment: B-Cure laser in a special sale

Served on behalf of B Cure Laser

Biden and bin Salman.

Last week (Photo: Reuters)

The big picture

Corrilla's main challenge as commander of American forces in the Middle East is to fend off claims that the United States is abandoning the region and to reassure its allies about the Biden administration's commitment to their security.
"The commitment of the Central Command of the United States Army to the region is as strong as steel. This region is at the center of the strategic competition of the United States with Russia and with China," he emphasized.
According to him, the United States demonstrates its commitment to the region through joint military exercises, intelligence cooperation and joint development of innovative combat methods.
Korilla added that he himself demonstrates this commitment personally through frequent visits to the region and telephone and video calls he holds several times a week from his headquarters in Tampa, Florida with his counterparts in Israel and the Arab countries.
"The Middle East is critical to global security and global trade. A secure and stable Middle East is critical to the American defense strategy," he said.

the situation picture

The American general said that he discussed with his Israeli counterparts the common security challenges but particularly focused on Israel's air defense systems and the missile and drone threats.
He emphasized that an air defense and missile defense system that would be integrated between the countries of the region remained a central goal of the United States Army's Central Command and the United States' partnership in the region.
"The integration of the air defense systems is a critical step that will help us protect our forces, protect our partners in the region and our interests. This is an issue that is clearly a high priority and I discussed it during my talks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem," Kurila said.
A senior Israeli official said that Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Kurila that the Biden administration should give "strategic attention" to promoting security cooperation between Israel and the Gulf states.

between the lines

Israel hoped that President Biden's visit to the region would include a public call by the American president during the summit held with the leaders of Arab countries in Saudi Arabia for military cooperation between the United States, Arab countries and Israel against Iran.
However, after some countries such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia publicly disowned the talks and some other Arab countries raised concerns about the issue in closed conversations with the White House, President Biden did not mention Israel at all in his speech.
However, the White House did state in the summary statement it published regarding Biden's meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the American President emphasized that the United States will accelerate cooperation with Saudi Arabia and other partners in the region with regard to dealing with the threat of missiles and drones and will work to increase integration and cooperation on the subject.
The issue was also mentioned in the summary message of the summit that Biden held with the leaders of Arab countries.
"The leaders discussed different ways to increase the integration of the air defense systems, the warning systems and the sharing of information between them," the statement said.

What next

American General Korilla said that the countries of the region are beginning to see the first fruits of Israel's integration as part of the Central Command of the United States Army.
However, he added, this is a long process that will take time before it will result in comprehensive security cooperation between Israel and Arab countries.
"The Abraham agreements serve regional security by connecting militaries that face common threats and security concerns. The agreements allow us to focus on areas where our security interests overlap. This holds great promise," Kurila said.

news
Political-political