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- UAE, Saudi Arabia privately shared intelligence with U.S. on Iranian attack - report
UAE, Saudi Arabia privately shared intelligence with U.S. on Iranian attack - report
Iran stated it briefed neighboring countries on its attack plans, which Gulf countries reportedly passed on to Washington thus giving Israel and its allies crucial advanced warning
Israeli and American forces intercepted most of the Iranian drones and missiles that were fired at Israel on Saturday night, but they were able to do so, in part, because Arab countries quietly passed on intelligence about Tehran's attack plans, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Furthermore, the Arab countries opened their airspace to fighter jets, shared radar surveillance information or, in some cases, provided their own forces to help, according to officials who spoke to the American newspaper.
After Iran decided to attack, U.S. officials began pressuring regional Arab governments to share intelligence information about Tehran’s plans, as well as to assist in intercepting drones and missiles launched toward Israel, Saudi and Egyptian officials told WSJ.
The initial reaction of some Arab governments was cautious, fearing that aid to Israel could bring them directly into the conflict and risk retaliation from Tehran. However, after further talks with Washington, the UAE and Saudi Arabia privately agreed to share intelligence, while Jordan said it would allow U.S. and other countries' warplanes to use its airspace, even using its own aircraft to help intercept the Iranian threats.
According to the officials, years of American effort culminated in the coordinated operation which broke political and technical barriers that previously prevented military cooperation between Israel and allied Arab governments.
Rather than a Middle Eastern version of NATO, the U.S. was said to have focused on less formal air defense cooperation in the region in order to blunt Tehran's growing arsenal of drones and missiles.