Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu pays secret meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia
News Time
Mohsen Fakhrizada, the architect of Iran’s nuclear program, was assassinated on Friday in the Ab-Sard area on the outskirts of Tehran, which is the big news this week, but was preceded by a visit by the Israeli prime minister to Saudi Arabia and by the US secretary of state. There was also great news about the meeting with the future king of Saudi Arabia. Although President Donald Trump has lost his second term in office, his foreign minister has made an important and lengthy trip to the Middle East since the election results. Upon his return, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller arrived in the region on the pretext of celebrating Thanksgiving with troops and is still there. It was during the Secretary of State’s visit to the Middle East that the US Central Command announced that its B-52s had practiced hitting long-range targets in the shortest possible time on short notice.
The New York Times reported that President Trump had consulted with his national security team about an attack on the site of Iran’s nuclear program. Immediately after the Israeli prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the US and Israeli media reported that the Israeli leadership had instructed the army to make preparations in view of a possible US attack on Iran and Iran’s retaliation. All this news is presenting a new and dangerous scenario in the region and there is a link in all of them. First of all, let’s talk about the US Secretary of State’s visit to the Middle East and the Israeli Prime Minister’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the newly established Saudi coastal city of Newem. Although the Saudi foreign minister denies the meeting, the Israeli prime minister’s office has become a spectator by leaking the news instead of formally confirming it. The three leaders of the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia did not meet, according to Saudi officials. The Israeli and American narrators say that the focus of the meeting was Iran. Although the meeting also focused on normalizing Saudi-Israeli relations, an agreement could not be reached immediately, but the visit sought to achieve a number of important goals.
The most important goal of the Saudi and Israeli rulers was to send a strong and effective message to the newly elected US President Joe Biden before he takes office that he should forget his enmity and differences and come to the same page to achieve his common goals. Both are united against Iran’s intentions. Biden wants talks with Iran and a return to the international agreement on the nuclear program, which the Democratic administration did despite strong opposition from Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Saudi and Israeli rulers found an ally in the White House in the case of President Trump, who not only announced his withdrawal from the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, but also pursued a policy of increasing pressure on Iran economically. It was so compelling that he could not take any major and open action to avenge the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force.
Although Saudi oil installations have been targeted by Yemeni insurgents, Iran’s retaliation may not be complete. Iran is engaged in several proxy wars in the region with Saudi Arabia, but the Biden administration would return to Obama-era policy. So along with Saudi Arabia, Israel’s anti-Iran policy could be weakened. Israel is also engaged in covert military operations with Iran and has carried out airstrikes on Iranian interests in Syria. King Salman of Saudi Arabia has no intention of recognizing Israel’s existence before the two-state solution, but Mohammed bin Salman has indicated in this secret meeting that he has no objection to establishing relations with Israel before the two-state solution. Apparently, there is no prospect of formal Saudi-Israeli relations in King Salman’s life, but Muhammad bin Salman, through this meeting, has tried to divert the Biden administration’s attention from a few other issues. They fear he could interfere with the White House. These include the war in Yemen, the arrests of human rights activists and the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Israeli Prime Minister himself leaked the news of the meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince and before the meeting both sides had agreed that the leak would not be objected to but the other side would be content with just denying it. The Israeli prime minister used the executive jet he was using, and flight tracking data from Tel Aviv to Riyadh could not be hidden. There were clear indications that the Israeli prime minister was heading to Riyadh, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s office began leaking the news. At the same time, the Israeli education minister, who belongs to Netanyahu’s own party, confirmed the leak from the prime minister’s office by confirming himself in an interview with Israeli military radio. Reporting on national security issues is prohibited in Israel and the censors move immediately, but the silence of the censor authorities also reinforces the impression of a deliberate leak.
The Israeli prime minister made several simultaneous losses in domestic and foreign politics. At first, his biggest rival, but now part of a mixed cabinet, embarrassed Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who dreams of becoming prime minister a year later under the power-sharing formula. In fact, on this leak, Benny Gantz stated that leaking news is a very irresponsible behavior. Netanyahu had previously kept Benny Gantz unaware of the talks with the UAE, sending a message to Israeli voters that Benny Gantz could not be involved in secret diplomacy. Netanyahu also sent a message to the Biden administration to refrain from rolling back Trump’s policy on Iran, otherwise no one in the region would ask the United States and the whole region is one language on the issue of Iran. The Israeli prime minister was on Saudi soil for four to five hours, so it was investigated what was discussed during the meeting. All sources agree that Iran was the main topic, but there were separate reports on what the plans were. One thing that all media houses reported agreeing on was that the attack on Iran was under discussion in order to prevent Biden from returning to the 2015 nuclear deal. That is the goal of the Trump administration. The message to the Biden administration was clear that the two major US allies in the region would not support their old policy on Iran. Netanyahu was ready to consume 30% of Gaza’s West Bank with the blessings of the White House. But the Biden administration’s first contact in the Arab world with King Abdullah of Jordan indicated that it would prefer a two-state solution and that Israel would not have the same open concessions as before. The Biden administration will follow former President Obama’s policy of empathizing with the Palestinians, easing tensions with Iran and emphasizing human rights. The Saudi Crown Prince and the Israeli Prime Minister sought to ensure that the Biden administration did not harm their common interests.
The other important news was the consultation meeting at the White House for the attack on Iran and the exercise of B-52 aircraft by the US Central Command. President Trump, however, wants to leave the White House after putting the Biden administration to some test. But the transition has begun and all major institutions, including the Pentagon, are briefing the newly elected president and the new administration has been given access to the institutions. In these circumstances, the possibility of a direct US attack is very low. News of these consultative meetings may also be part of a leak. But the possibility of an attack cannot be ruled out, and President Trump’s administration could give Israel the green light.
The New York Times report on the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizada, the architect of the nuclear program in Tehran, said that two US sources believed that Israel was behind the attack. This is the possibility that was discussed in a possible secret meeting on Saudi soil. The Israeli prime minister is said to have spoken out against the attack on Iran, and Mike Pomeroy has not commented on the issue. The Israeli prime minister spoke of the need for the Middle East to unite against Iran’s aggression. Mike Pompeo appears to have been a vocal advocate for the Israeli attack on Iran, and that’s why the meeting was arranged. Mike Pompeo persuaded the Saudi crown prince to meet President Trump and the Israeli lobby if he wanted to help Republicans escape the Biden administration’s pressure. The Saudi crown prince was found to be worried during the meeting, but his response to a plan to attack Iran has not yet been revealed. It is also said that the UAE bought F-35s from the United States in exchange for relations with Israel, but the Saudi Crown Prince wants a bigger package, which includes F-35s as well as active protection systems for armored vehicles, missile defense includes batteries, electronic interface systems, advanced radars, MQ9 reaper drones and naval defense equipment.
The latest news is the murder of an Iranian scientist on the outskirts of Tehran. In fact, through this assassination, Israel has tried to provoke Iran into a move that could spark a new war in the region and engage the Biden administration in this war instead of a nuclear deal or negotiations. Although Iran has announced retaliation, it will refrain from any move that could lead to open war. After the US election, Iran sent a message to its proxies in the region to be cautious until the new administration arrives. Iran sent its top generals to Baghdad with the message that all attacks should be stopped until Biden takes office. Brigadier General Qasim Qasim Qayani had told all paramilitaries and militias that Trump wants to push the whole region into open war to avenge the defeat in the elections, it is not in our interest to justify such a move. General Qaani’s fears were corroborated by retweets from President Trump following the assassination of an Iranian scientist. President Trump retweet two tweets from an Israeli journalist saying Mohsenzada’s assassination was a major blow to Iran. It is clear from General Qaani’s clear message that Iran will still wait for the Biden administration to take charge and will refrain from any open retaliation.
