By Hussien Elkabany and Mohammad Sio
ISTANBUL (AA) – Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah met Sunday with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The meeting, attended by Kuwaiti Defense Minister Abdullah Al-Sabah, came amid questions over the future of US-Gulf defense cooperation following an Israeli airstrike on Qatar, where a major US base is located, the state news agency KUNA reported.
Gulf media outlets have reported growing interest in expanding defense partnerships with other major powers.
On Saturday, Cooper visited Doha, where he met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the talks reviewed “the close strategic relations” between Qatar and the US, “particularly in the areas of military and defense cooperation.”
Sunday’s talks came as Arab and Islamic foreign ministers held a preparatory meeting in Doha ahead of Monday’s emergency summit, which will bring together heads of state. The gathering is also expected to discuss the activation of a long-proposed joint Arab military force, an initiative first advanced by Egypt nearly a decade ago.
Cooper’s visit to Kuwait came days after an Israeli attack that targeted a residential compound housing Hamas leadership on Tuesday.
The attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, as the group was discussing a new deal proposed by the US to end the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
Qatar, along with the US and Egypt, has been a key mediator in negotiations to end the war.