US-Israel Secret Deal Aims to Destabilize Iran

The closed-door cooperation agreement between the United States and Israel is aimed at destabilizing Iran by provoking protest and separatism among the Iranian people, a prominent Arab analyst said.

According to Israel's Channel 10 News, US and Israeli officials reached a covert cooperation agreement on how to deal with Iran.

"Channel 10 has not published the details of US-Israel secret agreement on countering Iran and Hezbollah, but clearly one of their main scenarios is to create instability inside Iran, fan the flames of protests and provoke separatist movements," Abdel Bari Atwan wrote in an article published by Raialyoum Arabic Newspaper on Saturday, as cited by ISNA.

"The US administration is worried its influence in the Middle East is waning, which is in the interest of Russia, China, Iran and Turkey. The occupying regime of Israel, on the other hand, is concerned by the growing power of Lebanon's Hezbollah because Hezbollah emerged victorious from the Syria war and managed to form anti-Israel fronts in the west of Lebanon and southwest of Syria."

The agreement, which was reportedly signed on Dec. 12 at the White House, aims to counter Iran's missile and nuclear programs.

According to Channel 10 as cited by the Hill, the agreement would translate US President Donald Trump's Oct. 13 speech decertifying the Iran deal into steps on the ground.

The two countries have reportedly decided to set up joint teams to combat Iran in the region.

One joint team would grapple with Iran's ties to the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, as well as Iranian activity in Syria.

The second team would aim to deal with Iran's nuclear goals, while another team would specialize in dealing with the country's missile program. The fourth team is designed to control preparations for any escalation from Hezbollah or Tehran.

The news organization reported a senior Israeli official as saying the two sides "see eye to eye on the trends and processes in the region".

US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat, led the negotiations, according to Channel 10.

The report comes as US-Iranian relations have declined in recent months. Trump announced in October that he would decertify the Iranian nuclear deal, which was reached during the Obama administration.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley ripped into Tehran earlier this month when she presented what she claimed was "undeniable" evidence that Iran was supplying weapons to Yemeni rebels in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

US-Israeli relations have been on the uptick since Trump announced earlier this month the US would recognize Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of Israel, a move which drew strong criticism from the international community. Iran's legislative body voted last week to declare the holy city as the permanent capital of Palestine.

The story was first published Here