IDF Head Of Strategic Affairs Meets With Top Bahraini Diplomat Over Threats Posed By Iran

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Tensions between Israel and Iran have flared up recently after an Iranian drone strike last week targeted an Israeli-managed Mercer Street ship off the coast of Oman in July, killing a British citizen and a Romanian citizen. On Tuesday it was reported by Syrian media that an explosion had occurred on a ship carrying oil from Iran to the Syrian port of Latakia.

The heightened tensions have led to more strategic cooperation between Israel and the Gulf states who are threatened by a mutual enemy. On Tuesday, Israeli IDF Major General Tal Kalman, who heads the IDF’s strategic department focusing on Iran, met with Bahraini Undersecretary for International Affairs Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa in an effort to deepen security cooperation between the two countries. This is the first time that a senior member of the Gulf States, which recently signed peace treaties with Israel, has met with a high-ranking Israeli army officer.

Kalman spoke with Khalifa about joint security opportunities and the nations’ common threats in the maritime region and elsewhere.

Khalifa, who is responsible for relations with Israel at the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Israel Sunday for a four-day visit. It was the Bahraini diplomat’s third trip since the two countries normalized ties in September 2020, as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Earlier on Tuesday, Khalifa met with the Chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, Chemi Peres (son of former president Shimon Peres) and the Director General of the Center, Efrat Duvdevani. The dignitaries discussed issues of coexistence, future challenges, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Khalifa said after his meetings that “We have been building this peace for 11 months and this is only the beginning. We have much in common and there is plenty of potential for further close cooperation.” Khalifa also met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and President Yitzchak Herzog.

As chairman of the Derasat — the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies — Khalifa also signed a “historic agreement” with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs headed by Dr. Dore Gold to enhance cooperation against threats posed by Iran’s regional policies and to cooperate in the field of scientific research.