Iran fired more than 300 rockets and drones at targets in Israel on the night of Saturday into Sunday - in retaliation for an alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus that killed several people.
Israel's allies came to its defense: British and American air forces helped repel Iranian attacks. France was also apparently involved, although it is not clear whether French units fired the rockets.
The fact that the Jordanian air force provided support to Israel attracted a lot of attention.
Namely, the neighboring country opened its airspace for Israeli and American planes, and apparently participated in shooting down drones that violated the sovereignty of its airspace.
Attacks strengthened Israel's position?
Reuters reports that residents of Jordan have noticed a lot of activity in the airspace. Footage of the remains of a downed drone in the south of the Jordanian capital, Amman, circulated on social media.
"In addition, the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, may have played an indirect role, as they host Western air defense systems, aerial surveillance and the ability to refuel aircraft - all of which are necessary for the operation," writes the British Economist. .
Some commentators immediately celebrated the Arab participation, pointing out that it proved that Israelis and Arabs can work together and that Israel is not alone in the Middle East - as pointed out by Anshel Pfeffer, a columnist for the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and Mairav Zonschein of the International Crisis Group.
"Iran's attacks have rallied behind Israel even more supporters from around the world, including influential Arab states that are critical of Israel's offensive in Gaza but support a response to Iran's drone strikes," said Julien Barnes-Dacey, program director for Middle East and North Africa at the European Council for Foreign Affairs.
Jordan is one example: the government there is extremely critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. One in five people in Jordan, including its queen, is of Palestinian descent, and in recent weeks there have been increasing protests against Israel.
Spicy position of Jordan
At the same time, Jordan shares a border with Israel, oversees the Al Aqsa Mosque and the holy hill in Jerusalem, one of the most important sites for Muslims, Jews and Christians, and cooperates with Israeli authorities - mostly behind the scenes. But the United States of America is also an important ally of that country.
Jordan, therefore, must balance competing interests in order to ensure the country's political stability and its defense. The government there was quick to emphasize that supporting Israel was also an act of self-defense.
"Some objects that penetrated our airspace were intercepted, as they posed a threat to our population and densely populated areas," the authorities said in a statement. "Parts (of intercepted objects) fell on our territory and did not cause significant damage".
And Saudi Arabia is acting similarly to Jordan: the government is trying to balance interests with international allies and at the same time conduct realpolitik regarding the conflict in Gaza.
During the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, Saudi Arabia was in the phase of normalizing relations with Israel. About 1.200 people died in the attack.
More than 33.000 people were killed during the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza during the past months. Saudi Arabia has suspended the process of rapprochement with Israel for the time being.
The Saudi government advocates a cease-fire in Gaza and criticizes Israel's actions in the coastal strip. But insiders say Saudi Arabia remains behind the scenes interested in improving relations with Israel.
Iran and the Gulf States - a decades-long conflict
Whether they were acting in Israel's interest over the weekend or not: The Saudis have plenty of other reasons to shoot down Iran's missiles.
For decades, the Middle East has been divided along religious and confessional lines. In the Gulf Arab states, the majority of the population is Sunni, while in Iran, the majority is Persian and Shiite.
Countries like Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, however, are multi-ethnic, with a mixture of Shia and Sunni as well as other religions and numerous ethnic groups. To the extent that Iran and the Gulf states have tried to expand their influence there, they have found themselves caught between two fires.
This is where those who represent Iranian interests and wage a puppet war on behalf of Tehran come into play.
These are Shiite organizations that receive financial, military, logistical and ideological support from Iran. Among them are Yemen's Houthi rebels, an alliance of predominantly Shiite paramilitaries in Iraq, as well as the political and military wings of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
This includes Hamas, although most of its ranks are Palestinians, who are predominantly Sunni.
Those groups were also involved in this weekend's attack - firing rockets from Yemen, Iraq and Syria at Israel. In Iraq, the American army stationed there, according to unconfirmed reports, shot down several rockets.
It is not entirely clear whether the Saudis intercepted the missiles from Yemen - unlike last year, when they neutralized the Houthi missiles.
"Regional actors - primarily Saudi Arabia and Jordan, which allegedly intercepted Iranian drones - will argue that they had to protect their own airspace," said Masoud Mostajabi, director of the Middle East program at the US Atlantic Council.
"However, if the attacks expand into a larger conflict between Israel and Iran, states in the region that are seen as Israel's defenders could become targets and be drawn into a regional conflagration," he said.
"The fact that there is so much at stake could encourage them to mediate between the opposing sides to end the confrontation," concludes this expert.
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