WASHINGTON, October 11. /TASS/. Over the past three years, with the help of the US, Israeli and six Arab servicemen increased their behind-the-scenes security cooperation, including against Iran, The Washington Post reported.

"Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked US documents reveal," the newspaper noted. According to the article, this refers to Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper cited internal documents obtained by its journalists from the US Central Command (CENTCOM), whose operational responsibilities primarily cover the Middle East. According to the authors of the article, these documents "show that the threat posed by Iran was the driving force behind the closer ties" between Israel and the six countries. One of the documents called Iran and its allies the "axis of evil."

"Over the past three years, facilitated by the United States, senior military officials from Israel and six Arab countries came together for a series of planning meetings in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar," the article stated. The Washington Post pointed out that these consultations "were held in confidence," particularly at US military facilities. One of the meetings was devoted to countering threats related to "subterranean tunnels."

The documents emphasized that the consultations between Israel and the six Arab states focused on regional security issues and were not aimed at "forming a new alliance." The materials referred to Kuwait and Oman as "potential partners" for this cooperation.

Among the materials obtained by the newspaper’s journalists from the US military are presentations that were given to participants in these consultations, as well as, in some cases, to members of the Western "Five Eyes" alliance. In addition to the US, this group includes Australia, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand.