Israeli, Egyptian, and UAE meet to discuss repercussions of Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Emirates on wider region

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — In the wake of the recent visit of head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a tripartite meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, with the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Although the meeting was closed, the Times of Israel reported that the Crown Prince briefed Bennett and Sisi on the reasons for, and discussions had during, the visit.

The newspaper indicated that Bennett did not hide Israel’s concern about the consequences of the visit and the danger of returning Syria’s membership in the Arab League.

Still, Bennett remained open to the possibility that there could be positive outcomes for Israel and the region from the visit, if it indicates that the UAE and other regional allies are interested in edging Iran out as one of the dominant players in the country.

In other news, The Guardian confirmed that the Syrian regime, in an attempt to circumvent sanctions imposed on it, established at least three fake companies on the same day. The Guardian reported that it had obtained official documents as evidence.

The newspaper pointed out that the owners of the three companies are businessmen close to Assad, his advisers, and his economic and financial department heads who are already subject to U.S. and European sanctions.