Scoop: U.S. holds meeting with Israeli and Arab generals amid Gaza war

• Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of the general staff of the Israeli military, participated alongside U.S. Gen. Michel "Erik" Kurilla.
• The meeting was a signal that military dialogue and cooperation between Israel and Arab countries continues under CENTCOM despite harsh public criticism and condemnation of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Behind the scenes: In addition to Kurilla and Halevi, senior generals from Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt attended Monday's meeting in Manama.

• The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment. CENTCOM didn't immediately respond to questions about the meeting.

The big picture: In recent years, CENTCOM and the Pentagon have worked with militaries in the region on bolstering cooperation on air and missile defense.

• The U.S. views the defeat of the Iran's unprecedented missile and drone attack against Israel on April 13 as a major achievement and a result of that work.

• U.S. officials say cooperation with Israel and Arab countries in the region allowed them to gather intelligence and obtain early warning of the attack.
• The officials said the cooperation also included the active participation of Jordan and Saudi Arabia in intercepting missiles and drones that passed through their air space after being fired from Iran, Iraq and Yemen toward Israel.