US to include Israel in CENTCOM, US Defense headquarters Pentagon announces

Washington: With just a few days for the current US President’s term to end, Trump has made a big decision. Israel will also be a part of the US Central Command – CENTCOM, set up to protect its interests in the Middle East. The US Defence headquarters – Pentagon released the information. The US and the Middle Eastern media claim that Israel’s inclusion in CENTCOM would prove an essential part of the US policy against Iran.

The United States established the Combatant Command decades ago to control its defence forces around the world. At the regional level, the combatant command was further divided into eight parts. These include the ‘AFRICOM’ for African countries, the ‘CENTCOM’ for Middle Eastern countries, the ‘EUCOM’ for European countries, the ‘INDOPACOM’ for Indo-Pacific region, the ‘NORTHCOM’ for North American countries and the ‘SOUTHCOM’ for South American nations, with the newest addition of the ‘Space Command’ for the space sector, formed last year.

Until now, Israel has been part of the EUCOM, meant for European countries. Despite being a Middle Eastern nation geographically, Israel was not included in the CENTCOM because of its poor relations with the Arab world. However, in recent months, the Gulf nations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, have signed a historic Abraham Accord, with mediation from the United States. Earlier, Israel had established cooperation with Egypt and Jordan as well.

Considering the normalisation of ties between Israel and the Arab countries, US President Trump instructed the Pentagon to include Israel in the CENTCOM. A few hours ago, a leading US daily reported the story. After that, even the Pentagon announced Israel’s inclusion in the CENTCOM. The Pentagon has expressed assurance that ‘The reduced tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbours due to the Abraham Accord, will help US’ strategic policies for the Middle East. The United States allies can therefore unite against the common threat to Middle Eastern security.’ Although the US headquarters declined to comment, the statement is believed to be a reaction directed at Iran.

Meanwhile, analysts around the world are claiming that friendly cooperation will not exist between future US President Joe Biden and Israel, as it has been during the Trump administration. Considering the developments, incumbent President Trump is claimed to have played a significant move in the last days of his term by including Israel in the CENTCOM.

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