In the past several years, Jerusalem and New Delhi have established ever warmer ties, as decades of frosty relations spurred by pro-Palestinian “anti-imperialist” hostility gave way to a natural affinity between the countries. The Abraham Accords have further helped Indo-Israeli relations, giving rise to the formation last year of the I2U2 group, consisting of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. Gedaliah Afterman and Narayanappa Janardhan examine the opportunities for greater strategic, and above all economic, cooperation:

A combination of Emirati capital, Israeli technology, and the Indian market in various sectors could yield win-win-win results. It is in this spirit that the International Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce initiated a partnership in 2021 wherein an Israeli company—Eccopia—produced innovative water-free robotic solar-cleaning technology in India for a project in the UAE. Confident in replicating such partnerships in other sectors, the three countries estimate the innovation and international business potential of their cooperation at $110 billion by 2030.

India’s expertise and its large and growing economy complement Israel’s R&D and innovation capabilities, providing an excellent opportunity for joint advancement in R&D and innovation. Such collaboration could create additional opportunities for the two countries to extend their partnership to other countries in the region, with a particular focus on water management, counterterrorism, and emerging technologies.

Expanding engagement between the two countries’ tech start-up ecosystems should also be a priority. India has seen the establishment of 46 unicorns [i.e., startups valued at $1 billion or more], in 2021 alone, with over $42 billion raised by its startups. Similarly, Israel has seen the rise of 33 unicorns with $25 billion flowing in to support them. By joining forces, both start-up ecosystems can make significant gains. Adding the UAE to the mix could create a plethora of opportunities.

On the same day the cease-fire went into effect along the Israel-Lebanon border, rebel forces launched an unexpected offensive, and within a few days captured much of Aleppo. This lightening advance originated in the northwestern part of the country, which has been relatively quiet over the past four years, since Bashar al-Assad effectively gave up on restoring control over the remaining rebel enclaves in the area. The fighting comes at an inopportune moment for the powers that Damascus has called on for help in the past: Russia is bogged down in Ukraine and Hizballah has been shattered.

But the situation is extremely complex. David Wurmser points to the dangers that lie ahead:

The desolation wrought on Hizballah by Israel, and the humiliation inflicted on Iran, has not only left the Iranian axis exposed to Israeli power and further withering. It has altered the strategic tectonics of the Middle East. The story is not just Iran anymore. The region is showing the first signs of tremendous geopolitical change. And the plates are beginning to move.

The removal of the religious-totalitarian tyranny of the Iranian regime remains the greatest strategic imperative in the region for the United States and its allies, foremost among whom stands Israel. . . . However, as Iran’s regime descends into the graveyard of history, it is important not to neglect the emergence of other, new threats. navigating the new reality taking shape.

The retreat of the Syrian Assad regime from Aleppo in the face of Turkish-backed, partly Islamist rebels made from remnants of Islamic State is an early skirmish in this new strategic reality. Aleppo is falling to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS—a descendant of Nusra Front led by Abu Mohammed al-Julani, himself a graduate of al-Qaeda’s system and cobbled together of IS elements. Behind this force is the power of nearby Turkey.