Officials speaking to the British newspaper The Telegraph said a plan for an armed Kurdish uprising against Iran, which had been discussed by the CIA and Mossad, was blocked by President Erdogan.

In February, during a visit to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed an attack on Iran’s western borders by an army consisting of thousands of Kurdish militiamen from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq under US air cover as a formula to overthrow the Iranian government.

Under the operation developed by Mossad and discussed with the CIA, they were to cross the Iraqi Kurdistan border into Iran to stoke an uprising that would overthrow the Iranian government “forever”.

According to information obtained by The Telegraph, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was displeased by the prospect of armed Kurdish forces in the region, intervened in the matter and ultimately forced Israel and the US to terminate this covert operation.

The official added: “A few of these conditions did not materialize, for reasons I will not go into detail here. This is due not to a lack of foresight, but either to an operational failure or to decisions taken.”

According to Israeli and Gulf sources, Erdogan, understood to be one of the world leaders Trump trusts most, told the US president that he would not tolerate Kurdish independence anywhere in the region.

Upon learning of this plan, Erdogan became concerned that arming Kurdish militiamen would lead to “broad segments of his political enemies becoming armed and dangerous” on Türkiye’s eastern border.

According to the newspaper, Erdogan’s intervention contributed to “the failure of one of the most ambitious attempts at regime change in this war, which turned into a quagmire and failed to achieve its objectives.”

Trump said that regime change had already been carried out twice and that the new government was much more “sensible” than the previous ones.

According to The New York Times, following the meeting at the White House, US officials assessed that elements of Netanyahu’s presentation, which included the possibility of a ground invasion of Iran by the Kurds, were “detached from reality”.

While receiving a briefing from CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Trump described the Israeli prime minister’s regime change scenarios in a single word: “ridiculous”.

Nevertheless, this situation did not prevent Mr. Trump from pursuing the idea. The president met with Kurdish leaders on March 1 and continued to exert pressure on local officials who could benefit from Tehran’s weakness.

In a move seen as an obvious preparation for an attack, Israel bombed positions in western Iran, including regime officials, military bases, missile systems, outposts, and Basij facilities.

This situation led to speculation that Israel was laying the groundwork for the advance of the Kurds.

It was reported that fighters from all six Iranian Kurdish factions joined the attack to be launched from Iraqi Kurdistan, and these fighters would also supply weapons to Kurds inside Iran.

The coalition was allegedly ready for the invasion on March 18. All they needed was a green light from Trump.

As preparations continued, Kurdish organizations also began expressing concerns about their situation regarding the Iranian leadership, demanding “political guarantees” beyond mere military support.

A senior Israeli official told The Telegraph: “Intelligence did not promise that [regime change] would happen. It said that you could increase the probability or likelihood of it happening.”

Shortly after the plan began to collapse, details of the operation were leaked to the American media.

Fox News reported that an attack was launched in March. This situation forced Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary at the time, to clarify that the US was not arming the Kurds for this purpose.

At the same time, it is understood that Erdogan was lobbying in Washington for the cancellation of the plan.

Gulf countries also reportedly warned that an ethnic division of Iran could destabilize the entire Middle East.

This failure was not well received in Tel Aviv. Mossad Director Roman Gofman decided to dismiss the agency’s top two officials who had helped prepare the regime change plan.

According to insider information, during a final meeting in the Oval Office on July 28, the topic of regime change was raised once again.

Netanyahu stated that regime change was still possible under certain conditions, but he did not appear to convince Trump.

Trump ultimately preferred a long-term economic blockade over air strikes to end the war.

Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a joint defense agreement that deepens security cooperation at a time of rising military tensions and conflicts in the Middle East. The agreement stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three states will be considered an attack against all of them.

Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement at a trilateral summit held in Mecca on Friday, pledging to strengthen collective security, deepen defense cooperation and support peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” was signed at a summit held at Al-Safa Palace by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to a statement issued by Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications, the agreement reflects the three countries’ shared determination to strengthen their collective security on the basis of their longstanding historical ties, Islamic solidarity, common strategic interests and close defense cooperation.

The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and provides that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them.

The agreement also provides for the development of defense cooperation among the three countries in all fields.

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Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence

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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 7, 2026

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud hosted Erdoğan and Sharif in Saudi Arabia for the summit.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Friday and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, meanwhile, arrived in Saudi Arabia a day earlier together with the country’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir and performed Umrah in Mecca.

Iran and its allies have been targeting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries and obstructing their energy shipments since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, escalating tensions in the region.

According to a joint statement by the three countries, the agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and provides that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them.

The joint statement did not specify the details of the obligations undertaken by the parties under the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.” It noted, however, that the agreement aims to strengthen collective security and promote peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.

A Turkish official told Reuters, “The pact includes a collective defense clause. It is entirely defensive and commits the parties to mutual support solely for defensive purposes.”

The official also said the agreement was not directed against any specific actor, was open to the participation of other countries in the region, and did not invalidate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral arrangement.

At the same time, the three countries are concerned both about Israel’s increasing aggression and Iran’s expanding influence at a time when their longstanding ally, the United States, is struggling to contain regional turmoil.

Strong political symbolism

Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Center, said, “The political symbolism of the summit is significant. Three of the most influential countries in the Muslim world are coming together at a time of growing uncertainty. This shows the increasing willingness of regional and middle powers to coordinate more closely on security issues.”

Sager added, “If the trilateral mechanism is institutionalized and translated into concrete cooperation, it could strengthen the combined diplomatic and defense weight of the three countries while also contributing to the emergence of a security architecture that is more strongly shaped by regional dynamics.”

Türkiye has NATO’s second-largest army. Saudi Arabia, the Gulf’s most powerful country, is one of the world’s largest oil exporters. Pakistan, meanwhile, is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons.

The Iran factor

Since the war began on February 28, Saudi Arabia has been targeted by Iran as well as its Houthi allies in Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq because it hosts U.S. military bases.

The conflict has also brought most shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried around one-fifth of global energy supplies before the war, to a halt.

For Saudi Arabia, the consequences of the conflicts in the Middle East over the past three years have been more severe. While the conflicts have endangered the country’s oil exports and ambitious development plans, they have also raised serious questions about the reliability of the U.S. security umbrella on which Riyadh has relied for many years.

A senior Saudi official told Reuters on Thursday that the country expects coordinated attacks in the near future from both Iraqi militias and the Houthis under Iranian direction. This raises questions about how the new alliance would respond to such attacks.

Iran-aligned Welayat News described the agreement as a Saudi request for assistance. The report included the following assessment: “Ansarullah’s Yemen-based equation of ‘blockade for blockade, escalation for escalation’ has put the Saudis under pressure. At Saudi Arabia’s initiative, a defense alliance between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is expected to be signed today.”

Although Türkiye and Pakistan have avoided major direct attacks, both countries want the conflicts that threaten their own security and economic conditions to be de-escalated.

According to a Reuters report in May, Pakistan deployed around 8,000 troops, fighter aircraft, drones and an air defense system to Saudi Arabia and moved toward developing broader security ties across the Gulf.

Reuters reported in July that Pakistan had also begun negotiations with Kuwait on an expanded security agreement in exchange for energy cooperation and investment.

The AP news agency also noted that the agreement was announced at a time when Türkiye’s relations with Israel have become strained over the conflicts in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza.

Former Israeli official: Türkiye will not fight the Houthis simply because Saudi Arabia asks

Commenting on the defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, former head of Israel’s National Security Council Prof. Jacob Nagel said Saudi Arabia is not as powerful as it appears and described the country as a “paper tiger.”

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Nagel said, “You have to understand this: despite all its wealth and weapons, Saudi Arabia is to a large extent a paper tiger. It has a great deal of weaponry and a great deal of money, but militarily it cannot even manage to get through the day.”

On whether Türkiye would defend Saudi Arabia under the agreement, Nagel said, “I do not think the Turks will send their navy and attack the Houthis simply because the Houthis attacked the Saudis. That certainly does not align with my realistic view of the region.”

According to Nagel, Saudi Arabia is therefore looking for alternatives.

“Saudi Arabia understands that it is in serious trouble, both financially and in terms of security. Even before the recent wars, we saw them take the surprising step of signing an agreement with Iran. They did this because they were afraid and felt exposed to the concrete Iranian threat, as well as to Iran’s militias across the Middle East.”

Nagel continued:

“The Saudis’ problem is that despite having the most advanced equipment, aircraft and intelligence capabilities, they do not know how to use this power effectively on the ground. For that reason, all this talk of new alliances with Pakistan or Türkiye should be approached with considerable caution.”

Nagel also said, “This is more of a diplomatic maneuver aimed at putting pressure on the U.S. administration.”

“The Saudis are disappointed with the U.S. position. Particularly in light of the shortcomings they have identified in missile and interceptor ammunition stockpiles in the West, they are trying to send the message that they will not be left alone in the struggle against the Shiite axis.”

US Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Ronny Jackson introduced the “Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act” to Congress on July 30, calling on the State Department to designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization.

The bill, drafted by Gottheimer of New Jersey and Jackson of Texas, alleges that the Polisario Front receives support from Iran and poses a threat to US national security.

Gottheimer said groups linked to the Iranian government were seeking to open a new front against the US and its allies and argued that the Polisario Front had become one of the instruments used for that purpose.

However, Gottheimer also acknowledged that such cooperation between Iran and the Polisario Front has not yet been verified.

“This bipartisan bill will ensure that, once such cooperation is confirmed, US counterterrorism sanctions are fully applied against the Polisario Front,” Gottheimer said.

The proposal follows similar legislation introduced in Congress in 2025, including an initiative by Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

Polisario Front backs Western Sahara independence

The Polisario Front advocates the creation of an independent state in Western Sahara, which is largely under Moroccan control. The movement was founded in May 1973 to fight Spanish colonial rule in the territory.

After Spain withdrew from the territory in 1976, the Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, whose government-in-exile is based in Algeria. Morocco soon took control of most of Western Sahara and maintains that the territory is part of its sovereign land.

The name Polisario is derived from the Spanish title “Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro.”

US President Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara in 2020 in exchange for Rabat normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain later backed Morocco’s position on the territory.

Morocco, one of Washington’s major non-NATO allies, has continued expanding its military and political ties with both Washington and Tel Aviv. According to the Hudson Institute, designating the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization could further strengthen the US-Morocco alliance.

Morocco sent troops to the Gaza international force

In July, Morocco became the first Arab and African country to commit troops to the International Stabilization Force that is expected to operate in Gaza under Trump’s “Peace Board” administration.

Rabat formally signed the agreement governing its participation in the force on July 15. The International Stabilization Force is expected to operate in coordination with the Israeli military.

A pro-Palestinian Moroccan activist criticized the country’s role in the force, saying: “I do not know what role Morocco will play other than disarming Hamas and perhaps even overseeing the recolonization of Gaza under the US-Israel axis.”

Morocco has continued strengthening military and security ties with Israel since signing the Abraham Accords.

Israeli troops openly participated in Morocco’s annual African Lion exercise in May 2025. The Israeli flag was displayed for the first time during the opening ceremony of the exercise, jointly organized by the Rabat government and US Africa Command and involving about 10,000 troops from more than 40 countries.

Ceuta and Melilla dispute also in focus

The Moroccan government was reported last week to have organized the movement of tens of thousands of Moroccan male migrants toward Ceuta, the Spanish territory on the North African coast.

A US congressional budget report adopted in July also described Ceuta and Melilla for the first time as Spanish-administered cities “located on Moroccan territory” and “long claimed by Morocco.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for Spain to be punished for attempting to block the delivery of US weapons to the Israeli military for use in operations in Gaza. The migrant influx toward Ceuta was welcomed by a significant portion of Israeli social media users.

Responsible Statecraft wrote that the Moroccan government may have resorted to “migration blackmail” to pressure European countries. The publication added: “This time, however, the primary beneficiaries appear to be Israel and the US.”