Qatar and Zionist Israel Collaborate in Joint Aerial Drills in Greece
Qatar is joining an air exercise hosted by Greece, alongside Israel and more than ten other nations, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Qatar’s involvement in the Iniochos 2025 air exercise, alongside countries such as the United States, France, India, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain, is notable considering its significant role as a mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
KAN television reported that Israel expressed surprise when the Hellenic Air Force published a complete list of participants on its website. This revelation came despite Israel’s prior request for confidentiality regarding its participation and that of other nations, such as Qatar.
Following the revelation, the channel reported that Qatari and Israeli air forces are engaged in joint exercises, participating in collaborative briefings, and cooperating on simulated missions in shared airspace.
Reports have emerged indicating that Qatar and Israel are currently engaged in joint training exercises in Greece.
The report emerges in the context of the ongoing “Qatargate” scandal, which involves two senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These aides are alleged to have facilitated the transfer of funds from Qatar.
According to a report by Haaretz, aides are under suspicion for allegedly orchestrating or participating in a campaign aimed at enhancing Qatar’s international image.
On Monday, senior cabinet staff members Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein were taken into custody, prompting Netanyahu to leave his corruption trial at a Tel Aviv court unexpectedly. The departure was to provide testimony in an investigation concerning potential connections between his aides and Qatar.
The exercise entered its deployment phase on March 24, with aerial drills commencing on Tuesday. These drills are set to continue until April 11.
The Hellenic Air Force has announced that the exercise aims to imitate a range of scenarios, such as evasion of attacks, conducting strikes, and executing search and rescue operations. It encompasses joint air combat simulations alongside operational coordination exercises.
Reports indicate that Qatar is actively participating with its fleet of F-15 fighter jets, whereas the United Arab Emirates has deployed its Mirage 2000 aircraft in the operation.
Greece typically refrains from disclosing the participation of Arab nations in its military exercises. This year, however, it has deviated from tradition by specifically mentioning Qatar and the UAE as active participants in the drills.
This year, the Israeli Air Force participated in the Iniochos exercise with only a Gulfstream G550 reconnaissance aircraft. In contrast, in previous iterations of the exercise, Israel dispatched multiple fighter jet squadrons, refuelers, along with its reconnaissance aircraft.
