Trump orders US Central Command to include Israel amid strategic shift - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Jared Szuba

Jared Szuba

Jan 15, 2021

US Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, participates in a press briefing on Oct. 30, 2019, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, where he provided an update on the special operations raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria's Idlib province. — Alex Wong/Getty Images

Israel will now be included in the geographic area of responsibility of the US Central Command for the first time, the Pentagon announced Friday, amid the outgoing Trump administration’s bid to shore up regional cooperation to deter Iran.

The change, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, follows a last-minute push by the Trump presidency to convince Arab leaders to establish formal ties with Israel as the United States looks to focus on countering China in the coming years.

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Defense/Security cooperation Israeli-Gulf relations Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Quick Take

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Background

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