US defense chief to visit Israel amid cloud of Iranian tensions - analysis
Experts say that the Red Sea area became a primary venue for confrontation between Jerusalem and Tehran in the past three years.
By UDI SHAHAMRetired General Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of Defense in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, US. January 19, 2021.(photo credit: JIM LO SCALZO/POOL VIA REUTERS)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Israel on Sunday, marking the first visit of a high-ranking official of the Biden administration.Austin is reportedly set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. They will discuss Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran’s activity in the region, the developing situation in Syria and Lebanon, and the effort to retain Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East.Besides those issues, this visit comes with two major events happening in the background: The first is the JCPOA meetings that started last week in Vienna, where it’s believed the Americans are trying to reach a long-term agreement with the Iranians.The other is the ongoing maritime-shadow war between Israel and Iran, which reached an explosive peak last week with the attack on the Iranian Saviz cargo ship, believed to have been carried out by the Israel Navy.This warfare is considered now, alongside Israel’s ongoing strikes in Syria, to be the most dominant front in the IDF’s “War Between the Wars,” campaign in which it combats Iran’s attempts to further entrench itself in the region.Experts say that the Red Sea area has become a primary venue for confrontation between Jerusalem and Tehran over the past three years, and its main objective, on the Israeli side, is to damage the shipment of oil that is meant to fund arms transferred to Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies in the region.A sign of this shadow war was exposed only recently when an Iranian attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship was reported near the Gulf of Oman. Then, a former senior defense official experienced in combating Iran as well as its at-sea capabilities, suggested that it came as a reaction to an Israeli operation.It is still unclear if, and in what form, Austin’s visit will affect the nature of this campaign. It was suggested that the Americans were unhappy with the Israeli-attributed actions in recent days – especially with the ongoing JCPOA talks.However, judging by remarks made in recent days by senior officials such as Netanyahu and Gantz, it seems that Israel ascribes great importance to the maritime arena in the overall battle against Iranian expansionism.“We have attack systems that work 24/7, 365-days-a-year, and are ready to act in any front, in every measure, and in any dimension that the IDF will be asked to operate within,” Gantz said at a ceremony on Wednesday.It is believed that the American defense establishment is a channel to maintain effective relations between the two countries even in times of diplomatic disagreements.Austin’s visit could set the tone for the near future, and reflect the administration’s expectations from Israel.
