Arab states fear resurgent Iran, desperate for US and Israeli protection

Israel could remain one of the few actors capable of helping counter potential future attacks from Tehran.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Sunni Arab countries in the Middle East are increasingly concerned about the possibility of a resurgent Iran after the current war and want continued protection from the United States and Israel, according to information obtained by The Jerusalem Post.

Israeli officials say large-scale Iranian missile and drone attacks during the conflict have altered how Sunni states view the regional threat environment.

According to the IDF, the scale of the direct attacks has heightened fears among those governments that they could face similar strikes in the future.

Officials say those concerns are compounded by the perception that the United States has reduced its willingness to act as the primary security guarantor for those countries.

In that scenario, Israel could remain one of the few actors capable of helping counter potential future attacks from Tehran.

Iran has already targeted multiple Sunni-led states in recent confrontations, including countries that normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia has also faced Iranian attacks despite not being part of the accords.

Israel has maintained various forms of cooperation with countries outside the Abraham Accords framework.

Some of those activities occur through the US Civilian-Military Coordination Center under CENTCOM, while other contacts have taken place through clandestine channels involving the Mossad.

In earlier years, Israel acknowledged that former Mossad chiefs held meetings with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In September 2023, Mohammed bin Salman said Israel and Saudi Arabia were close to reaching normalization.

However, the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, and heavy casualties in Gaza, caused Riyadh to back away from establishing formal diplomatic ties with Israel.

Saudi officials have said they prefer to revisit the issue with a different Israeli leader once Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer in power.

Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post that the current confrontation with Iran could prompt Saudi Arabia to reconsider its position, though disagreements over Gaza’s future — including Saudi support for the Palestinian Authority replacing Hamas — remain a major obstacle.