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Balak, king of the Moabites, hired the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Israelites. Eventually, Balaam blesses the Israelites, including the famous phrase, “How fair are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel.” So, enemies of Israel became, not like friends, but complimentary.
The modern equivalent of the Balaam story played out the past few weeks. The modern Israel is partnering with the neighboring Arab countries to spot Iranian drones. The drones move slowly, and they have little radar profile, but the Israeli armed forces have a way of spotting the drones.
Announced last month by Israel, the new initiative, the Middle East Air Defense project, is an attempt to shore up the region’s defenses against drones. The idea is to allow its participants to alert one another instantly about incoming drone attacks, through the coordination of the U.S. Central Command. Israel has already warned some Arab countries about an imminent drone strike, a senior Israeli defense official said.
Some of the coordination is already happening. In one episode, Israel was able to successfully request permission from a nearby Arab country to enter its airspace and intercept the drones before they crossed Israel’s borders. As the old proverb says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”