Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outlined plans to form a new regional bloc, and has framed the Middle East as divided into \u201cradical\u201d Sunni and Shia axes.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu described a proposed \u201chexagon of alliances\u201d which he says would include Israel, India, Greece and Cyprus, along with other unnamed Arab, African and Asian states. He said together, they would unite to collectively stand against what he called \u201cradical\u201d adversaries.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n \u201cIn the vision I see before me, we will create an entire system, essentially a \u2018hexagon\u2019 of alliances around or within the Middle East,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe intention here is to create an axis of nations that see eye to eye on the reality, challenges, and goals against the radical axes, both the radical Shia axis, which we have struck very hard, and the emerging radical Sunni axis.\u201d<\/p>\n However, no government has publicly endorsed this plan \u2013 or its sectarian framing. Two of the three countries Netanyahu named \u2013 Greece and Cyprus \u2013 are members of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has an arrest warrant out for Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza, and would be legally obliged to arrest him if he set foot there.<\/p>\n Andreas Krieg, associate professor of security studies at King\u2019s College London, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli prime minister may be overselling his idea.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018unnamed Arab\/African\/Asian\u2019 component may exist in the form of ad hoc security coordination and transactional diplomacy, but not necessarily in a way that resembles a NATO-style pact or treaty. It isn\u2019t an alliance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d treat the \u2018hexagon\u2019 less as a deliverable alliance and more as a branding exercise for a patchwork of existing relationships,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Netanyahu is seeking to replicate what he describes as his \u201cvictories\u201d against the \u201cShia axis\u201d \u2013 also known as the \u201caxis of resistance\u201d \u2013 an informal, Iran-centred network of allied groups that oppose Israeli and Western influence in the Middle East.<\/p>\n At its core stands Iran, which supports Hezbollah in Lebanon \u2013 long regarded as the region\u2019s most powerful non-state actor aligned with Tehran before Israel killed much of its leadership in 2024.<\/p>\n In Iraq, Tehran maintains ties with various Shia armed groups, including factions within the Popular Mobilisation Forces and groups such as Kataib Hezbollah.<\/p>\n More recently, in Yemen, the Houthis, a Zaidi Shia movement, have risen in prominence, with Tehran providing material support, training and weapons.<\/p>\n Not really. Israel attacked at least six countries in the region in 2025, including Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, and conducted attacks linked to Gaza in international waters in Tunisia and Greece.<\/p>\n It has also threatened Egypt, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan.<\/p>\n Rather than forming a unified \u201cSunni axis\u201d \u2013 as Netanyahu describes them \u2013 several Sunni-majority states in the region have coordinated diplomatically in response to Israel\u2019s regional belligerence.<\/p>\n This coordination has included joint statements<\/a> condemning Israeli efforts to recognise Somaliland as an independent state, condemning Israeli strikes on Syria and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n The need to counter Israeli actions also loomed over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s state visits at the start of February to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Those countries have experienced strained relations in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see that there are growing common efforts by regional countries against Israel, joint statements, joint diplomatic efforts, joint military engagements, the exploration of potential for joint defence adventures,\u201d said Omer Ozkizilcik, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council.<\/p>\n \u201cThis alliance is not an alliance or not a collective alliance based on an ideology or based on Sunnism. This is a geopolitical, realistic behaviour and these states happen to be Sunni majority,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s remarks come as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Israel, where he is expected to address the Knesset and hold talks on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, security coordination and trade.<\/p>\n Modi emphasised the friendly relationship between the two countries in a post on X on Sunday, writing that India \u201cdeeply values the enduring friendship with Israel, built on trust, innovation and a shared commitment to peace and progress\u201d.<\/p>\n The two leaders have deepened ties in recent years, but India remains a highly pragmatic actor.<\/p>\n As a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, New Delhi has historically avoided rigid bloc politics. It simultaneously engages China, Russia and the United States.<\/p>\n India also maintains extensive ties across the Gulf. Workers in the region send home billions in remittances annually. New Delhi retains close relations with Iran \u2013 describing ties as \u201ccivilisational<\/a>\u201d \u2013 while also expanding strategic cooperation<\/a> with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe danger is in the signalling,\u201d noted Krieg. Netanyahu\u2019s framing as an \u201caxis vs axis\u201d project \u201crisks hardening regional polarisation, giving Israel\u2019s rivals (Iran, but also Turkiye and others) an easy narrative of encirclement, and making some would-be partners more cautious about being seen too close to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s rhetoric could pull \u201cIndia further into Middle East fault lines it generally prefers to manage pragmatically, not ideologically,\u201d Krieg said, noting that India\u2019s main interests lie in defence, technology and trade rather than signing up to Israel\u2019s regional ambitions.<\/p>\n In December 2025, Israel hosted Greece and Cyprus for the latest round of meetings under their trilateral framework, established in 2016. Although formally centred on energy and connectivity, the grouping has steadily expanded into security and defence cooperation, in part aimed at Turkiye.<\/p>\n Greece approved the purchase of 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel in 2025, valued at approximately $760m. The two sides are holding discussions about a broader defence package estimated at $3.5bn, including an Israeli-built multi-layered air defence system.<\/p>\n Cyprus has also received Israeli-made air defence systems, with further deliveries expected.<\/p>\n Yet even here, the picture is fluid. Turkiye and Greece have entered a cautious rapprochement. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Ankara earlier this month in an effort to stabilise relations and expand economic ties.<\/p>\n \u201cThe truth is that while there are all sorts of tactical partners Israel might have, technical partnerships and alliances Israel might enjoy, nobody wants to touch Israel with a 10-foot pole,\u201d said Ori Goldberg, an independent Israeli analyst and political commentator.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael is bad news. The Israeli brand has deteriorated to such an extent that it only brings potential chaos and instability, and in the most literal sense, look at what Israel does,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n On the face of it, Israel\u2019s pitch for a wider regional alliance runs counter to the interests of these countries, which Krieg notes are largely centred on \u201cEastern Mediterranean security and energy dynamics\u201d rather than a broader Middle East project Netanyahu envisions.<\/p>\n The initiative comes at a politically sensitive moment for Netanyahu, whose legal troubles abroad have been compounded by legal troubles at home.<\/p>\n \u201cWith elections due later this year, Netanyahu has a clear incentive to project statesmanship and to argue that Israel is not diplomatically isolated and that it can still convene meaningful regional and extra-regional partnerships,\u201d said Krieg.<\/p>\n Netanyahu faces domestic pressure over proposed judicial reforms and protests surrounding efforts to recruit ultra-Orthodox Jews into military service.<\/p>\n He is also standing trial in three corruption cases involving charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust dating back to 2016, which may very well end in jail time.<\/p>\n His \u201chexagon\u201d initiative \u201creads as a hedge\u201d, Krieg argued.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Saudi normalisation track has become far more politically costly for Riyadh, and Israel is trying to show it has alternatives and can build \u2018minilateral\u2019 coalitions around connectivity, energy and security even without a headline Saudi breakthrough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Since October 2023, Israel\u2019s economy has faced mounting strain, with business closures rising and credit agencies downgrading outlooks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Israeli economy is not doing well \u2026 jobs are disappearing, and investments are much costlier than they were. Israel is faltering at best and sailing at worst,\u201d Goldberg said.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing Israel does seems to work. So what\u2019s better than to fully retreat into a fantasy world where you have a hexagonal alliance?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outlined plans to form a new regional bloc, and has framed the Middle East as divided into \u201cradical\u201d Sunni and Shia axes. Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu described a proposed \u201chexagon of alliances\u201d which he says would include Israel, India, Greece and Cyprus, along with other unnamed Arab, African and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n
What does Netanyahu mean by \u2018radical axes\u2019?<\/h2>\n
Is Netanyahu right about an emerging \u2018Sunni axis\u2019 as well?<\/h2>\n
![\"Indian](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20180115__WO7WH__v1__HighRes__IndiaIsraelPoliticsDiplomacy-1-1771837604.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C468&quality=80\")
Would India really join?<\/h2>\n
![\"Israeli](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/000_88V2346-1767446339.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C514&quality=80\")
What about Greece and Cyprus?<\/h2>\n
Why now?<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"