Opinion: Israel should seize this moment to leverage its experience, helping Gulf partners strengthen civilian defenses and expand security and economic cooperation as a model for broader regional stability

The current round of war with Iran has clearly and tangibly exposed what Israel has said for years: the ayatollahs’ regime poses a clear and immediate danger not only to Israel, but also to stability-seeking countries in the Middle East, including Israel’s partners in the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements signed in 2020.

The echoes of explosions from Iranian missile and drone launches have, in this war, become part of a new reality in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in addition to fire directed at Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia — and this is no coincidence. In its desperation, and amid the growing military pressure brought to bear by Israel and the United States, Iran is also directing its fire at those it views as cooperating with the “Great Satan” and the “Little Satan” — terms used by Iran to refer to the United States and Israel — and as challenging its extremist and dangerous worldview and that of the deadly Shiite “axis of resistance” it has led for years.

The deliberate decision by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to join the regional normalization framework of the Abraham Accords in 2020, alongside Israel and with U.S. backing, was a courageous step. It reflected not only a shared interest in promoting stability in the face of Iran’s destructive interference, but also a formal recognition by these states that Israel is a positive force contributing to regional stability and a partner worth cooperating with, despite criticism from opponents of the move.

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