Israel’s Hexagon of Alliance: Is a Mediterranean NATO Emerging? |
Israel’s Hexagon of Alliance: Is a Mediterranean NATO Emerging?
Israel’s initiative to create a new regional bloc, the “Hexagon of Alliances,” may represent an attempt to reshape the balance of power in the Middle East and contain the growing influence of Muslim states in an emerging multipolar world.
Even China facilitated negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, setting a precedent for others to follow suit. However, this all went astray when Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Gaza in October 2023, which altered the regional status quo, compelling Iran and its like-minded Muslim partners to start their struggle against Israel and the US. In the meantime, as of February 2026, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has introduced the idea of establishing a new grouping named “Hexagon of Alliances” to encircle key Muslim countries, which could become a threat to Israel in the near future.
What is the Hexagonal Alliance?
Israeli PM Netanyahu announced the creation of an Israel-led alliance against radical Muslim factions in the region just two days before the visit of Indian PM Modi to Israel. Entitled “Hexagon of Alliances,” PM Netanyahu mentioned, “This alliance would include Israel, India, Greece, and Cyprus, along with other unnamed Arab, African, and Asian states.” The proposition of this alliance does not come up as an immediate step; rather, Israel has been strengthening its foothold in the region for the past few years. In 2021, under the leadership of PM Yair Lapid and US President Joe Biden, Israel launched a quadrilateral grouping called “India-Israel-UAE-US” (I2U2) to foster economic cooperation and further strengthen Arab-Israel relations. Experts called it a ‘West Asian QUAD.’ Although this minilateral grouping was mainly centered around economic relations, it became the first step by Israel to embed the UAE and India into its regional strategic posture.
Moreover, under the Trump 2.0 administration, in December 2025, Israel signed a security pact with Greece and Cyprus in the Mediterranean. In addition, Israel is very closely working with the........