From the Liveblog of
Friday, March 11, 2022
Report: Kohavi met with Qatari military chief in Bahrain
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Saudi-owned Elaph news site is claiming Israel Defense Forces chief Aviv Kohavi met with his Qatari counterpart during his visit to Bahrain.
According to the report, Kohavi and Salem bin Hamad bin Mohammed bin Aqeel Al Nabit discussed military cooperation between the countries in light of “recent developments in the region.”
The report also says the two discussed the possibility of Qatar joining a regional alliance against Iran’s aggression, specifically regarding the threat of UAVs. It adds that they discussed the possibility of placing “advanced Israeli radars” in the Gulf state.
Qatar does not have normalized ties with Israel, but officials have been in contact with the Gulf state, as it is a key donor to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, distributing aid payments to Palestinian residents in the enclave.
Kohavi returned to Israel from his official visit to Bahrain earlier, and immediately held a situational assessment with his deputy Herzli Halevi, and head of the Operations Directorate, Oded Basiuk, the military says.
