In a secret meeting in Germany, some of the top military leaders of Arab countries met with the commander of US Centcom, Brad Cooper, and his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Zamir. The meeting comes at a time of heightened security tensions in the Middle East and growing threats to maritime routes.
Several Arab military chiefs of staff gathered last week in Germany, at the invitation of the commander of US Central Command (Centcom), Brad Cooper, along with the Israeli army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir.
The news was announced by the American media outlet Axios, which reports that the meeting took place in complete secrecy.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt, while military representatives were also sent by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, three countries that do not have official diplomatic relations with Israel.
Although such contacts between regional military leaders are not unprecedented, this meeting is considered important due to the level of representation and recent developments in the region.
The meeting took place at a time when tensions with Iran and threats to key sea lanes have increased.
Tehran continues to obstruct freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while Houthi rebels in Yemen pose a threat to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and have intensified attacks on Saudi targets.
According to a source cited by Axios, Saudi Arabia and Israel are discussing ways in which Israel, with the support of US Centcom, could assist Saudi operations against the Houthis, including sharing intelligence.
A similar cooperation model has been used previously with the United Arab Emirates. During the escalation of the conflict with Iran, Israel deployed the Iron Dome air defense system and personnel to operate it in the Emirates.
During this period, according to reports, the exchange of intelligence information between Israel and several Arab countries in the region also intensified.
However, such cooperation also carries risks for Arab countries, as it could expose them to Iranian retaliation.
Beyond direct security threats, military cooperation can also be linked to American efforts to create a new regional security architecture.
The United States has placed Israel at the center of its strategy towards Iran, while expanding the Abraham Accords remains one of the policy objectives of the Donald Trump administration in the Middle East.
During Trump’s first term, Israel established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, under the Abraham Accords.
Saudi Arabia continues to be considered one of the main targets of American efforts to expand normalization with Israel.
The meeting in Germany comes as the region faces various efforts to create joint security mechanisms.
Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks from the Houthis, including threats to its territory and energy infrastructure.
According to reports, although US President Donald Trump has not yet launched attacks in Yemen, the US administration has promised support in the field of intelligence and information on Houthi targets.
The Centcom commander visited Saudi Arabia on September 10 for an urgent coordination meeting.
At the same time, Washington has stated that it intends to maintain the presence of American forces in the region, despite Iranian attacks on American bases.
US Vice President JD Vance also said the administration was in direct contact with Yemeni rebels. A meeting in Oman, which has repeatedly played the role of mediator in the region, had taken place over the previous weekend.
Meanwhile, on September 15, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman traveled to Cairo, where he discussed the situation in the Red Sea with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Egypt, which has one of the largest armies in the region, is considering the possibility of involvement in new regional security mechanisms, but remains reserved regarding military engagement.
Cairo has been hit economically by disruptions to maritime traffic caused by Houthi attacks. In late July, an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean was also hit by an attack.
According to Bloomberg reports, Saudi Arabia has also requested the support of Great Britain, particularly in curbing the Houthis’ advance along the coast, protecting Saudi oil infrastructure, and in diplomatic terms.
In this climate, France requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday on the situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, stressed during the meeting that the security of maritime routes should be considered a collective responsibility.
He also recalled Riyadh’s project to create a “multinational maritime defense alliance.” According to Saudi Arabia, 43 countries and the European Union have participated in a preparatory meeting for this initiative.
For Riyadh, such a mechanism would enable security burden sharing with international and regional partners.
The recent attacks have also affected the Saudi East-West Pipeline, a strategic infrastructure that allows Riyadh to transport oil to Red Sea ports and partially avoid dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.
The interruption of activities on this line has also affected several shipments planned for Europe for September, adding to the pressure on the oil market.
In this situation, the pressure for the creation of a broader maritime security mechanism and for greater cooperation between countries in the region is expected to remain at the center of discussions.