Egypt Daily News – Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, the United States is working to strengthen its alliances with Gulf countries to counter Iranian influence. In a significant shift in regional military alliances, the multinational air exercise “Iniochos 2025” has commenced at the Andravida Air Base in Greece, with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the United States taking part.
A Notable Development in Military Cooperation
The exercise, which runs from March 31 to April 11, 2025, serves as an opportunity to enhance strategic partnerships among the participating nations. According to the Hellenic Air Force (HAF), the United States is participating with F-16 fighter jets and KC-46 and KC-135 tanker aircraft. Israel has deployed a G-550 aircraft, while the UAE has sent Mirage 2000-9 fighters, and Qatar has contributed F-15 fighter jets.
The exercise brings together more than ten countries, including France, Italy, Spain, and India, with the aim of improving joint combat capabilities through a variety of aerial operations in a realistic training environment.
Qatar’s Participation: An Unprecedented Step
Qatar’s involvement marks a significant development in military relations, especially as it is the first time that the country has participated directly with Israel in this type of exercise. Although the two countries previously took part in the U.S.-led “Red Flag” exercise in 2016, military cooperation had been limited due to tensions related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
While Doha has not signed normalization agreements like the UAE and Bahrain under the Abraham Accords, its participation in “Iniochos 2025” could be seen as an implicit step toward fostering closer cooperation. Qatar, which hosts a large U.S. military presence on its soil, supports Palestinian factions but also plays a mediating role between Israel and Hamas, in coordination with the U.S. and Egypt.
The air forces participating, including:
- France with Μ-2000
- India with SU-30
- Israel with G-550
- Italy with Tornado
- Montenegro with B-412
- Poland with F-16
- Qatar with F-15
- Slovenia with 2 PC-9
- Spain with F-18
- UAE with Μ-2000/9
- USA with F-16, KC-46 and KC-135
Additionally, Cyprus is contributing with support personnel, while Slovakia and Bahrain have sent observer teams.
