At the Dawn of a New Strategic Axis: How the Conflict with Iran Is Reshaping Regional Alliances

... a counterpart to the “Shiite axis” in the Middle East. Over the course of more than a year, Israeli leadership has increasingly come to view Turkey as the nucleus of a gradually forming potential “Sunni bloc,” which includes Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and—less explicitly—Egypt and Qatar. Within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, there is a belief that this alliance could challenge Israel’s regional influence and constrain its strategic options. Israeli officials note ...