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The Arab world’s surprising reaction to Israel’s Iran offensive

WATCH: “Our Middle East” with Dan Diker and Khaled Abu Toameh

How does Israel’s lightning strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and its new mastery of Tehran’s skies change the Middle East chessboard?

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), and Khaled Abu Toameh, a senior fellow at JCFA and the Gatestone Institute, break down why Israel’s restored deterrence is being quietly cheered from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi—and what that means for tomorrow’s alliances.

Diker and Abu Toameh explain that Arab leaders may issue ritual condemnations, yet behind palace doors, many are sighing with relief as Iran’s terror proxies—from Hezbollah to the Houthis—absorb punishing blows. The hosts trace how Israel’s precision strikes have exposed the regime’s vulnerability; emboldened Jordanian and Gulf air defenses to shoot down Iranian drones; and rekindled talk of regionally expanding the Abraham Accords once Tehran’s threat recedes.

They explore a possible U.S.–Israel–Arab security architecture, preview U.S. President Donald Trump’s next moves and ask whether neutralizing Iran’s Fordow facility could bring five or six more Arab nations into open normalization.

The conversation also spotlights:

  • Social-media reactions across the Arab world: Why many users applauded the hits on Iranian soil.
  • How Jewish–Arab cooperation after Oct. 7, 2023, has become a model for regional coexistence.
  • An urgent need for Arabic-language outreach from Israeli leaders to counter decades of radical incitement.
  • Scenarios for “the day after” in Iran: ethnic fault lines, the risk of civil strife and the chance for a democratic reset.
  • Practical steps Israel can take now that will turn battlefield gains into lasting diplomatic victories.

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Dan Diker is president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs and the longtime director of its Counter-Political Warfare Project.
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning Arab and Palestinian Affairs journalist formerly with The Jerusalem Post. He is a senior distinguished fellow at the Gatestone Institute and a Fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
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