While Arab governments have vocally criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, a series of confidential U.S. military documents reveals a parallel reality of deepening, discreet security cooperation between their armed forces and Israel’s. Facilitated by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), this collaboration has focused on shared regional threats, notably Iran and underground warfare capabilities.
The documents, which span from 2022 to 2025, detail a framework U.S. planners term a “Regional Security Construct.” This initiative has brought together senior military officials from Israel and six Arab nations—Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—for a series of planning meetings and joint exercises. Kuwait and Oman were briefed as potential partners.
This behind-the-scenes partnership persisted even as the leaders of several participating states publicly accused Israel of actions amounting to genocide in Gaza. The stark contrast between public rhetoric and private coordination was thrown into sharp relief by an Israeli airstrike in Qatar’s capital in September, which temporarily strained the clandestine ties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued an apology for the strike.
According to the materials, the primary impetus for the cooperation is a mutual concern over Iran and its allied networks across the region. Briefings reference an “Axis of Evil” and include maps highlighting threats from Iranian-backed groups. A central achievement of the initiative has been the gradual integration of several Arab states into a U.S.-led regional air-defense network aimed at countering drones and missiles, with partners sharing radar data and connecting to secure U.S. communication systems.
The collaboration has extended to practical military training. In one instance, U.S. forces at a base in Tennessee led sessions for partner nations on detecting and neutralizing subterranean tunnels, a tactic heavily used by Hamas. Other plans discussed the creation of a joint cyber defense center and an information operations hub to counter Iranian narratives in the region.
Analysts note that this military-to-military engagement, fostered by CENTCOM, allows for cooperation while sidestepping the politically fraught issue of full diplomatic normalization with Israel. However, the September strike on Qatar exposed underlying tensions, demonstrating how operational actions can jeopardize the delicate, trust-based framework.
The leaked plans also indicate that these Arab partners are viewed as key to supporting future security arrangements in Gaza, potentially through financing or training a Palestinian force, though a direct military deployment from Gulf states is considered unlikely due to the risks involved.
The documents repeatedly emphasize the confidential nature of all meetings, with guidelines instructing participants to avoid photography and media access, and to observe dietary restrictions for Jewish and Muslim attendees. CENTCOM, along with the Israeli and Arab governments involved, declined to comment on the specifics of the leaked information.
