"A military move is brewing": This is why Netanyahu secretly flew to the Emirates

Middle East expert Yoni Ben Menachem estimated in an interview with Channel 14 that Netanyahu's lightning visit to the Emirates was intended for security coordination ahead of a regional escalation against Iran, and that commentators in the Gulf see it as preparation for a military move around the US midterm elections.

Middle East expert Yoni Ben Menachem, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs, said in an interview with the program "Israel This Morning" on Channel 14 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lightning visit to the United Arab Emirates and his meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed are stirring the Arab world. According to him, commentators in the Gulf see the trip as a step towards an escalation of the military confrontation with Iran. Ben Menachem assessed that this is part of coordination also with the United States, and that a military move may be brewing ahead of the US midterm elections or immediately after them. He mentioned the possibility that the Iranian "October surprise" – a strike on American bases in the Gulf – is growing, and that Trump may launch a strike on Iran after the elections. Ben Menachem described the UAE as Israel's closest ally in the Gulf, which received assistance with Iron Dome and intelligence. He linked the escalation also to the maritime arena against the Houthis and the tension between Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. Towards the end, he noted that two years after the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, the discourse in the Arab world reflects admiration for the Israeli operation.