Although Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have directly participated in the defense of Israel, intercepting Iranian missiles and drones and supporting the operation, none of the Arab countries involved are willing to publicly admit their participation, and Washington is helping to maintain silence. All “partner” air operations in response to Iran have now been added to the network of secret bases, hidden military alliances, and undisclosed weapons that dot the region. Now, as the region faces the possibility of a wider war, the population has once again been left in the dark.
As Iranian-made missiles and drones headed toward Israel in the 12-hour April 13 operation, U.S. military personnel were positioned throughout the region to coordinate the unified response and train covert partners, according to military sources. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain were also linked to the US-led air and missile defense network, although these countries remained silent.
Now, the secret partners are doing everything they can to deny their collaboration, while at the same time sending a subtle message to Israel (and the United States) that they will not be as cooperative if the country escalates the offensive.
Let’s look at the case of Jordan, a long-time US ally and one of the most loyal US military partners in the fight against the Islamic State. While acknowledging that the kingdom’s American-made F-16 fighter jets have joined those from the US, UK, France and Israel in shooting down Iranian drones and missiles, Amman has not revealed specific details about where the jets are located, nor above which airspace. were or when they fired at targets. (As The Intercept previously reported, U.S. F-15E attack aircraft operated primarily from Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. And Israeli fighters shot down drones and missiles over Jordanian territory.)
Despite his central involvement, Jordan’s foreign minister issued a serious, if general, warning, implying that the patience he has shown toward Israel and the United States may be waning. On April 14, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi said Jordan’s participation “is a firm policy that anything that poses a threat to Jordan will be confronted, because our priority is protect Jordan, protect the lives of Jordanians, protect the resources.”
King Abdullah II said on Tuesday that Jordan’s “security and sovereignty are above all considerations.”
Safadi added that similar measures will be taken to respond to any Israeli attacks on Iran. “We will intercept all drones or missiles that violate Jordan’s airspace to avoid any danger,” he told the state-run Al-Mamlaka news channel.
On his own initiative, in order to distance his country from the growing conflict, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani denied that Iranian-made weapons had been launched from within his country’s borders. The prime minister’s statements came after the Israel Defense Forces and Iranian media identified Iran, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon as the countries of origin of drones and missiles. On Tuesday (16), the Pentagon declared that Iranian weapons originated from Iran, Syria and Yemen.
“We (…) condemn the fact that the weapons launched against Israel violated the airspace of several regional states, putting the lives of innocent people in those countries at risk,” the US said at the UN on Wednesday (17). (Iraq also secretly hosts batteries of U.S. Army Patriot surface-to-air missiles, which have shot down some Iranian missiles, as The Intercept previously reported. The presence of American Patriot missiles on Iraqi soil was not publicly known until Saturday.)
As Jordanian Foreign Minister al-Sudani added: “Iraq rejects the use of its airspace by any country. We don’t want Iraq to be involved in the conflict area.” It is not yet clear what measures Baghdad can take to protect its airspace.
Saudi Arabia is an even stranger case. The Israeli press reported that “Saudi Arabia acknowledged that it helped the newly formed regional military alliance,” according to a report by KAN News, Israel’s English-language public radio. But the Saudi monarchy refuted the information. “Saudi Arabia was not involved in intercepting the recent Iranian attacks against Israel, according to sources told Al Arabiya TV channel,” reported Saudi Gazette. “The sources emphasized that there have been no official statements issued regarding Saudi involvement in countering these attacks. This clarification follows reports from some Israeli news sites that attributed statements to an official Saudi source, alleging the Kingdom’s participation in the defensive alliance that responded to the Iranian attacks.”
Some reports say that American KC-135 aerial refueling jets circled in the air over Saudi airspace at the time of the Iranian attack. It is known that the US maintains these flying refueling stations on Saudi soil, at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran. Other reports say that Saudi Arabia closed its airspace to US aircraft during the operation, demanding that the US refrain from launching any counterattacks on Iran from its territory.
The United States has sold Patriot missile batteries and long-range Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile systems to Saudi Arabia, and has positioned Patriot missiles on Saudi soil. Patriot missiles have also been sold to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates; the THAAD anti-missile is also in operation or development in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. The US Army deploys its own Patriot missile batteries in Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
But what these “partner” nations choose to do to protect their airspace and sovereignty, should Israel decide to attack Iran, is an important factor in any Israeli decision.
“The secretary [de Defesa, Lloyd] Austin continues to communicate with policymakers across the Middle East region and elsewhere to emphasize that while the United States does not seek escalation, we will continue to defend Israel and U.S. citizens,” said Pentagon spokesman, Major General Pat Ryder, on the 16th, refusing to name which rulers and referring to Arab countries only as “partners in the region”.
There was almost no American media coverage of the role of these various Arab countries in defending Israel, further increasing state-imposed secrecy. But what these “partner” nations choose to do to protect their airspace and sovereignty, should Israel decide to attack Iran, is an important factor in any Israeli decision.
“You have a victory,” American President Joe Biden reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. “Take the victory”, asking Israel to refrain from further attacks.
Biden also stated that the US would not assist Israel in any retaliatory efforts against Iran. But as with the current war in Gaza, and with reports of Israel’s reluctance to share plans for attacking Iran’s embassy in Syria until just moments before being executed, Israel often confirms that the limits imposed by the US are not very relevant. The US may soon have to decide which side to take if Arab countries engage with Israeli aircraft, drones or missiles.
