Israel urges alliance from India to Europe to counter Iran's military rise

Jerusalem,UPDATED: Jul 1, 2026 19:30 IST

Israel should prepare for a new regional security architecture by building a wider alliance stretching from India to the United States through West Asia and Europe, a top Israeli defence official said on Wednesday. He also called for a new US-Israel security Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU, based on what he described as "hard interests and shared values".

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference at Reichman University in Tel Aviv, Israel Ministry of Defence Director General Amir Baram said the war had underlined, for every actor in the region, the cost of Iran's military build-up and created a shared interest in a broader alignment. He said Israel should respond through a tailored force build-up, a wider regional alliance and a fresh security framework with Washington.

"The war has sharpened, for every actor in the region, the price of Iran's military buildup. It has created a shared interest in forging a broader alliance, from India through the UAE to Greece and Cyprus," Baram said. He said the proposed alliance would run from India through the United Arab Emirates to Greece and Cyprus. The idea also broadly overlaps with the envisioned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, announced on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023, to improve connectivity among India, the Gulf, Europe and the US.

Baram also warned against developments that, in his view, could strengthen Iran's military capabilities. "The agreements now taking shape around the world, which could channel hundreds of billions of dollars into Iran, could dramatically accelerate its military buildup," he said. Referring to the recent MoU signed between the US and Iran, he said it calls for the release of the Islamic Republic's frozen money in billions, along with a reconstruction plan worth hundreds of billions of US dollars.

"The State of Israel must prepare through tailored force buildup and advance a new regional architecture, first and foremost with our strategic ally, the United States, and with others," Baram said. On ties with Washington and the security MoU under negotiation, he said the difference between the two countries "is not in how we understand the threat, but in our priorities". "For us, Iran is an existential threat; for the United States, it is a chronic regional challenge, while China and the Indo-Pacific theatre remain the core concern," he said, adding, "We think Tehran, they think Taiwan." He said that from the Pentagon's perspective, with American munitions stretched between current wars and preparations for a possible confrontation in the Taiwan Strait, a prolonged war in West Asia runs against America's broader global posture.

Baram said Israel's relationship with the US cannot rest only on shared values and must also be rooted in hard interests. "As the United States operates under an 'America First' approach, our partnership cannot rest on shared values alone. It must also rest on hard interests: a strong, independent, and proactive Israel that stabilises the Middle East is the very asset that allows the United States to redirect resources toward Asia," he said. He added that the next Israel-US security MoU should bring long-term security, economic and strategic benefits to both countries. Referring to the Gulf and what he called a new space of alliances, Baram said Israel's strengths in technology, proven operational experience and defence innovation, along with the Gulf's financial power, could help create a new security and economic front. "Expanding our strategic partnerships is not a substitute for our partnership with the United States, but it will allow Israel to broaden its room to manoeuvre and its standing on the international stage, and will allow us to diversify our strategic footing," he said.

In sum, Baram argued that Israel should combine military preparedness with a wider regional alliance linked to partners from India to Europe, while also pursuing a new security understanding with the US that reflects both shared values and practical strategic interests.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends