Tel Aviv. The operational cooperation between the US armed forces and the Israel defence forces (IDF) will now be coordinated by the US Central command (CENTCOM). Until now this coordination was in the responsibility of the US European command.

The US Air Force and Israeli Air Force regularly being trained together, and recently in October 2020 for the third time the two nations have trained together with F-35s during Enduring Lightning III exercise.

In an official announcement, the Pentagon called the move a “sign of the changing political environment in the Middle East.”
CENTCOM, is one of 11 US Defense Department unified combatant commands, and is responsible for the command and control of all US military forces in the Middle East, including Egypt, as well as Central Asia and parts of South Asia.

“The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors subsequent to the Abraham Accords has provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners against shared threats in the Middle East,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.

“Israel is a leading strategic partner for the United States, and this will open up additional opportunities for cooperation with our US Central Command partners while maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies.”

-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist