In an exclusive interview with a Saudi newspaper, Israel’s Army chief-of-staff Gadi Eizenkot said that his country is ready to exchange information with Saudi Arabia and other “moderate” Arab countries to confront Iran.
Eizenkot told the Saudi-owned Elaf newspaper that there is a “complete consensus” between Israel and Saudi Arabia on the issue of mutual arch-rival Iran, and that Israel is ready to share intelligence with one of the world’s most powerful influential Muslim-majority states.
Eizenkot, who is the first senior Israeli military officer to be interviewed by a Saudi media outlet, called Iran the “biggest threat to the region” and said that Israel and Riyadh are in complete agreement about Iran’s intentions to dominate the Middle East.
“Iran seeks to take control of the Middle East, creating a Shi’ite crescent from Lebanon to Iran and then from the [Persian] Gulf to the Red Sea,” he said.
However Eizenkot mentioned in the interview that Israel has no intention of initiating a conflict with Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, stating that “I am very happy for the calm on both sides of the border, which lasted for 11 years.”
“With [US] President Donald Trump there is an opportunity for a new international coalition in the region,” he was quoted as saying.
He added: “We need to carry out a major and inclusive regional plan to stop the Iranian threat.” “We are ready to exchange experiences with moderate Arab countries and exchange intelligence to confront Iran.”
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When asked if information sharing was already underway with Saudi Arabia, he responded that “We are ready to share information if necessary. There are many common interests between us and Saudi Arabia.”
