TEL AVIV - A US general proposed on Monday that Israel upgrade its anti-missile systems to include neighbouring Jordan and possibly Egypt, and an Israeli official cautiously welcomed the idea.
The two Arab countries that have full peace treaties with the Jewish state share some of its concern regarding the disputed nuclear program of Iran and the civil war wracking Syria - both states with long-range missile arsenals.
Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba is also under threat from short-range rockets fired by Islamist militants in the largely lawless Egyptian Sinai - though they have more regularly targeted the next-door Israeli resort of Eilat.
Brigadier-General John Shapland, chief defence attache for the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, raised the idea of extending Israel's anti-missile umbrella in comments to a security conference in the city.
"If we were able to build a regional defense capability in, say, Jordan, that capability could easily defend Israel, Jordan and even Egypt, if you so desired, adding one more layer to your multi-layered defense," he told Israeli officials and experts gathered at the INSS think-tank.
Yair Ramati, head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, appeared open to the idea. "The policy of the (Israeli) Defense Ministry is always to cooperate with the countries of the region, including the countries cited," Ramati said at the conference, in reference to Jordan and Egypt.
