In view of the attack from Iran, Arab states are also helping Israel - expert Ulrich Schlie explains at IPPEN.MEDIA what's behind it.
Tel Aviv/Amman - A previously unprecedented attack by Iran on Israel has fueled fears of a conflagration in the Middle East: the regime in Tehran attacked the declared archenemy with hundreds of drones and missiles over the weekend (April 13th/14th) - and still is unclear what Israel's response will be.
However, one aspect could be surprising: The fact that the attack - at least according to Israel - caused little damage was due on the one hand to the efficient "Iron Dome" that protects Israel and to the type of strike. On the other hand, there is also support from several states. These include the USA, Great Britain and France, traditional allies of Israel. But with Jordan also an Arab state.
The country has also waged war against Israel several times, for example in the “Six-Day War” in 1967. Now the government in Amman even sent fighter jets to its neighbor for anti-drone operations and opened its airspace to Israeli and US planes. When asked by
IPPEN.MEDIA
, security expert Ulrich Schlie spoke of a “remarkable” reaction. What's behind it?
Iran attacks: Jordan helps Israel – Arab states also fear “conflagration”
“Jordan justified the defensive measures against Iranian rocket fire with self-defense and even accepted that this could be seen as support for Israel,” emphasized the professor for security and strategy research at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the University of Bonn on Monday (April 15). Jordan's strategic importance in the region should be highly valued.
At the same time, the “differentiated reaction of the Arab states” allows conclusions to be drawn about concerns in the region: it shows “how much a conflagration is feared.” Schlie also referred to diplomatic interpretation games: “If the airspace
is now opened again, this should also be seen as a signal of relaxation.” In addition to Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq had also closed their airspace in view of the Iranian attacks, as did the broadcaster
Al-Jazeera
reported.
Jordan's government said drones and missiles in Jordanian airspace were intercepted "preventively." In the future, intrusion by “any party” will continue to be repelled – in defense of “the nation, its citizens and its airspace and territory”. Apparently Jordan had even sought Western help: Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Monday that his country had taken part in repelling the missiles from Iran at Jordan's request. France's president spoke on
BFMTV
about a very unstable situation.
Arab states are not taking Iran's side - Jordan is getting angry
The development is not entirely new: Arab states stood against Iran and Hamas as early as the end of 2023. The line, which was partly positive for Israel, now continued. In addition to Jordan, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's first contacts included Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It was initially unclear whether US troops at bases in the Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were also involved in defensive measures against Iran's missiles.
The Emirates and Bahrain have normalized relations with Israel, and Saudi Arabia held talks about this before the start of the Gaza war. Saudi Arabia is already one of the United States' allies. Egypt also does not seem interested in escalation: over the weekend, the country warned urgently against an expansion of the conflict.
Despite its decidedly defensive statement, Jordan drew anger in the Arab world: a manipulated photo even circulated on Platform X that showed Jordan's King Abdullah in an Israeli military uniform. In any case, Jordan is under pressure because of the war in Israel. The NGO “Minority Rights Group International” assumes that around three million Palestinians live in the country. The majority of them came as refugees - and repeatedly and vehemently protest against Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
Iran wants to weaken Israel and the USA with a blow – and probably also (in vain) to “save face”
Iran's goal is likely to be “to weaken Israel and the United States,” as Schlie explained
to IPPEN.MEDIA
on Sunday. The situation is quite precarious. Observers assume that Tehran wants to involve Israel in a multi-front war - although probably not in a direct confrontation with its own country, as very defensive statements after the weekend strike suggested.
Iran usually acts with the help of so-called proxies, representatives and vassals. These include the Houthi militias and potentially the Lebanese Hezbollah. With the attacks at the weekend, Tehran probably wanted to “save face,” as Iran expert Abdel Rahman said, according to a report by the
ARD “Tagesschau” on the
Al Hadath
channel
.
Israel killed two Quds Force generals in a strike on an Iranian embassy building in Syria. Rahman judged that the Iranian attempt had failed. “The street sees this attack as a failure. It was clear that Iran just wanted to save face.” (
fn/acm
)