Pentagon
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The Pentagon is reorganizing its global command structure to include Israel in the military sphere managed by the head of US Central Command, The Associated Press reported Friday.

The shift, from US European Command to the command that overseas US military relations and operations across the Middle East, was announced Friday and was reportedly ordered by President Donald Trump.

Israel for decades had been in the sphere of European Command because of the hostile nature of its relations with many Arab countries, a condition that was viewed as making it difficult for Central Command to do business with both Israel and the Arab world.

Friday’s decision appears to be a nod to Israel’s recent normalization agreements with several Arab countries. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco all normalized ties with Israel in recent months.

Central Command’s area of responsibility stretches across the Middle East to Central Asia, including the Persian Gulf region as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan, noted AP.

In its announcement, the Pentagon said the change to what it calls its Unified Command Plan reflects the easing of tensions between Israel and some Arab countries. It said the Abraham Accords “provided a strategic opportunity” for the United States to “align key partners against shared threats in the Middle East”.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)