The Arab Press has reported that an Israel system of protection against short term grenades and rockets, «the Iron Dome», was sold to Saudi Arabia. The United States probably facilitated the transaction.

The “Iron Dome” was conceived by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It has been operational since 2011 along the Gaza Strip and from 2017 it was installed on several ships at sea. Its cost, normally prohibitive, is being taken care of by the United States. The Israeli lobby in the US Congress is fighting to purchase the Iron Dome in order to protect South Korea and the states bordering Russia.

This Israeli system includes the following features: a 3-D radar with an electronic sweeper, a computer for war and arms management and missile launchers. The radar had already been sold to nine states but there is no international market for protection when confronted by rockets at short range. Romania is the only country to have bought the entire system in May 2018.

It seems that Saudi Arabia has bought an “iron dome” to protect its borders from shots from short range projectiles coming from Yemen. However this system will not protect Riyadh from medium range missiles. A Swiss daily, Basler Zeitung, has reported that transactions would have begun in January 2018.

In any event there has been a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel since 2009. At the time we were the first to announce that Riyadh had financed the Israeli attack on the people of Gaza [1]. In November 2013, the New York Times reported that President Shimon Peres participated in a meeting of the Gulf Security Council [2]. From January 2014, Israel and Saudi Arabia have led secret negotiations for 17 months in several third states [3]. Finally Stratfor has indicated that in 2015, they established a joint staff in Somaliland to supervise the war against Yemen.

The facts indicated that the former alliances that had been established in the Middle East are in the throes of radical changes. Such is attested by Turkey, which while a member of Nato, is purchasing the Russian anti-air defense system S-400.

Translation
Anoosha Boralessa

[1] « La guerre israélienne est financée par l’Arabie saoudite », par Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, 6 janvier 2009.

[2] “Shimon Peres addressed Gulf Security Council, end November”, Translation Alizée Ville, Voltaire Network, 5 December 2013.

[3] “The secret projects of Israël and Saudi Arabia”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 27 June 2015.