Israel now key hub of anti-Daesh operations
ISRAEL IS at the centre of a regional military campaign against terror organisation Daesh.
Advances on several fronts by the jihadi movement (sometimes known as ISIL) are pushing Egypt and Jordan to unprecedented levels of security cooperation with the Jewish state.
Senior Israeli defence officials this week said that military ties with Egypt had “never been closer”.
Last week a senior US official revealed that Israel had transferred 16 helicopter gunships to Jordan to help the Hashemite Kingdom secure its borders.
“A new strategic map is being created in this part of the Middle East,” said Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to Jordan and senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
“The common threat is making this co-operation essential to the security of all three countries.”
Mike Herzog, a retired IDF brigadier general, said: “Israel and its neighbours share concerns about jihadi terror.
“Below the radar there is productive co-operation between Israel and key Arab countries, especially its neighbours Egypt and Jordan, focused on common security threats.”
There is also evidence that Israel’s relations with Turkey, which launched its own bombing campaign against Daesh last week, are improving.
Although Israel and Jordan have had diplomatic ties for two decades, arms deals are still very rare and the supply of the US manufactured Bell AH-1 Huey Cobras — which have been heavily modified and upgraded during their 30 years of service in the Israeli Air Force — is a significant step towards closer security co-operation.
Over the past two years there have been reports that Jordan has allowed Israeli drones into its airspace for surveillance flights over its borders with Syria and Iraq.
Mr Oded said: “What is new is the quality of the equipment transferred to Jordan by Israel and the intensity of the intelligence cooperation. Those groups who tried to cross into Jordan from Iraq before did not have the Daesh ideology, but they do now. There are already thousands of Jordanians
who cross the border to fight with Daesh; the attack helicopters that Israel sent to Jordan are likely to be used to patrol those borders.”
Egypt is also facing an increasing threat from Daesh affiliate WallyatSinai (formerly known as Ansar bait alMakdas).
In the past month, Wallyat-Sinai has carried out attacks on multiple military targets, killing dozens of Egyptian soldiers.
Israel and Egypt are working together closely to try to intercept weapons and funds destined for Sinai jihadis.
Meanwhile, a former ally of Israel, Turkey, has also been forced to take on Daesh after a long period in which it was accused of turning a blind eye. Spurred by recent jihadi bomb attacks, Turkey sent out jets to strike Daesh in Syria last week.
Turkey’s renewed cooperation with the US has led to rumours that ongoing talks between Israeli and Turkish diplomats may bring about a return to some degree of co-operation between the two countries.