Israel’s relations with Middle Eastern countries are progressing as the war with Iran advances, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Several Abraham Accords countries have been working directly with Israel militarily at particular junctures, and even those not yet part of the accords have been, at times, working in parallel to Jerusalem through US Central Command (CENTCOM), since the war has impacted those countries even more than it has the Jewish state.
Tehran’s latest massive ballistic missile and drone attacks on Middle Eastern nations have served to draw them closer to Jerusalem and Washington in a variety of ways.
There are many dimensions to these ever-evolving relations.
Certain Abraham Accords countries, such as Morocco, the UAE, and Bahrain, have all, separately, increased military exchanges with Israel since the accords were signed in 2020.
On February 16, for example, Morocco became one of a group of countries slated to participate in the International Stabilization Force expected to be deployed in Gaza to supervise the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Prior to the Abraham Accords and the ongoing positive military interactions and trust built between Jerusalem and Rabat, this might not have been possible.
In November 2025, around 130 foreign military officials visited Israeli military installations and received classified briefings about military tactics, Col. “A,” chief of training for the Intelligence Directorate since June 2024, told the Post.
Israel-Morocco military ties
A added that these foreign military officials, including representatives from Morocco, could become “ambassadors” on behalf of Israel in their home countries.
A specifically discussed Morocco’s participation, noting, “These are very important relations. Any country that wants peaceful relations will be invited to become a friend, but building relations beyond peace, a serious partnership, this is an advantage; it helps them, and it helps us.”
Jerusalem and Rabat have also held publicly acknowledged joint military exercises in 2023 and 2025.
In July 2025, the Post exclusively reported that Eyal Zamir, in his role as Defense Ministry director-general from 2023 to March 2025 prior to becoming IDF chief, had facilitated the export of arms to Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
In many of these countries, Zamir had formed deep personal connections, even with their leaders, in his three-year period in the Prime Minister’s Office over the previous decade.
Israel should build cyberdefense coalition with Middle East partners, former INCD chief tells 'Post'
IN MAY 2025, Gaby Portnoy, who had just exited his role as Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) chief, told the Post in an exclusive interview that Israel should build a cyberdefense coalition that would include all the Middle Eastern countries that helped defend Jerusalem against Iran’s ballistic missiles in two attacks in 2024, which included the Saudis.
Portnoy said, “We and the UAE still have an international project to combat cybercrime. We are building a platform for information sharing between 33 countries.”
He also told the Post that Israel and the UAE had added 20 new countries to the initiative in the past year.
All of this means that those countries actively sharing information had jumped from 13 to 33, and those passively on the platform jumped from 40 to 70 a few years ago.
Also, despite the war, Portnoy said, “There is also progress” in Israel’s cyber relations with Morocco and Bahrain.
A major distinction between various activities carried out between Israel and other countries is that entities such as the INCD or the IDF's International Cooperation Division work together with their cyber and military counterparts in Abraham Accords countries, whereas the Mossad generally is at the forefront in countries with which Israel does not have formal diplomatic relations.
For example, Mossad directors Tamir Pardo and Yossi Cohen met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when they ran the spy agency.
Despite that general distinction, there is sometimes some crossover.
In May 2025, then-IDF Operations Directorate head Maj.-Gen. Oded Basyuk met with Turkish officials in Azerbaijan to facilitate potential relations with the new Syrian government, run by Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Though the IDF denied that Israeli and Syrian officials had met directly, a variety of reports, including those confirmed directly to the Post by sources, have alluded to various kinds of contacts between Israelis and Syrians since December 2024.
These relations would presumably be managed by the International Cooperation Division.
Likewise, in 2022, then-IDF chief Aviv Kohavi met with senior Arab military leaders, including Saudi Arabian Chief of Staff Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed al-Ruwaili, in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss countering regional threats posed by Iran.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the meeting was conducted under the auspices of the US, represented by then-CENTCOM chief Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, and brought together top military commanders from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan.
This, too, would likely have been coordinated by the International Cooperation Division, currently headed by Brig.-Gen. Amit Adler, who previously served in the air force.