Eve is here. Many readers criticized some of the analysis Andrew Korybko did in a previous post. I continue to publish some of his work because, as he quibbles here about aspects of Israel’s grand strategy, he often focuses on key developments that don’t get much attention even in the independent media. And readers’ discussion of Korybco’s claims is instructive.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s “hexagon” comment comes on the heels of other unusually arrogant statements by the United States, once again demonstrating hubris about American and Israeli superiority.
As regular readers know, this part of Witkoff’s statement grossly misrepresents Iran’s position on nuclear enrichment. U.S. intelligence assessments have repeatedly found that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons development. The United States withdrew from the JCPOA, which provided inspections. Iran has repeatedly made clear that it is willing to negotiate over its nuclear program. But it does not intend to give up completely, as the United States demands, nor does it intend to give up its sovereignty by dismantling medium- and long-range missiles and not cooperating with regional allies, as the United States demands.
Okay, the US doesn’t want the deal it wants. #Iran Surrender (surrender as Witkoff would say) https://t.co/GxMjXEhMAg
— Vali Nasr (@vali_nasr) February 22, 2026
This follows a damaging statement by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in which he said that he, and by implication the current administration, supports a very broad interpretation of the Bible regarding Israel’s territorial rights.
BREAKING: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tells Tucker Carlson that Israel has a Biblical right to occupy the entire Middle East.
“If you could just take it all, that would be fine.” pic.twitter.com/BN4fXh03ga
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) February 20, 2026
Larry Johnson (among many others) said of the ferocious reaction of the Arab countries in the region:
Fourteen Islamic countries and major Islamic organizations, including all countries that the United States claims as allies, are furious with President Trump over indiscreet comments made by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. In a conversation with Tucker Carlson last Tuesday, Huckabee said it was acceptable for Israel to control territory belonging to Arab countries, including the occupied West Bank.
This foolish statement provoked hellish anger from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, the State of Palestine, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Talk about bad timing.
Jordan and Saudi Arabia are currently hosting hundreds of U.S. fighter jets and tanker planes to refuel these programs. Does this mean that the United States will thwart any attempt to launch an attack from its own territory? perhaps. It is also noteworthy that both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates signed this harsh condemnation, as they have been busy angering each other for the past two weeks. This is the strongest collective condemnation of Israel since the genocide in Gaza began.
statement:
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sparked a major international diplomatic incident with comments he made on Tucker Carlson’s show.
In a joint statement, the following countries and several regional and intergovernmental organizations formally condemned: pic.twitter.com/TSNjna30I7
— Yashar Ali🐘 (@yashar) February 21, 2026
The anti-Zionist American group Torah Jews also expressed the following opinion:
public statement
Regarding the interview between Ambassador Huckabee and Tucker Carlson:
“The phenomenon of political leaders mistakenly quoting Bible verses in support of the political entity Israel is both disconcerting and revealing to us Jewish Americans.
It highlights how Zionist ideology operates… pic.twitter.com/safnUiZukL
— Torah Jews (@TorahJews) February 23, 2026
At the very least, these casual but hurtful comments are evidence of arrogance. So when will Nemesis appear?
Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst specializing in the global systemic transition to multipolarity in the new Cold War. He holds a doctorate from MGIMO, which is affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Originally published on his website
By speaking on their behalf and pitting them against networks of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and their partners, he undermined the balancing act practiced by some countries like India and Ethiopia.
Bibi recently declared at a government meeting: “We are essentially creating a whole ‘hexagonal’ system of alliances around or within the Middle East.” This includes India, Arab countries, African countries, Mediterranean countries (Greece and Cyprus), and Asian countries, but I will not go into detail at this point…The intention here is to create a radical axis, a national axis that faces both radical Shiism and its realities, challenges and goals. The Axis…and the rising radical Sunni Axis. ”
This puts Israel’s partners in an awkward position. That’s because some countries, such as India, which the prime minister will visit later this week, do not want Mr. Bibi to antagonize countries that he considers part of the Shiite-Sunni axis. This leads to exactly what these axes refer to, with the first apparently being an Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance” made up of Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and some Iraqi militias, and the second seemingly hinting at a so-called “Islamic NATO”.
This envisioned Saudi-centric security network currently includes only Pakistan, but there is talk of extending it to Turkiye and Egypt, either as part of a multilateral alliance or through separate arrangements between the two countries, such as the security agreement just signed with Somalia. Whether formalized or multilateralized, the “Islamic NATO” concept essentially refers to this regional coordination platform to optimize the pursuit of common goals in Sudan and Somalia.
This Saudi-centric security network is therefore challenging the interests of Greece and Cyprus due to the conflict with Saudi Arabia’s close Turkish partner, the Sudanese Rapid Support Force (RSF). The reason for this is that it supports the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which is said to be the patron of the Emirates, and is currently embroiled in a long-simmering regional competition with Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia due to rival Egypt’s planned military buildup. Somalia, which used anti-terrorism as an excuse, and Somaliland, which was newly recognized by Israel.
Similarly, Iran-centered security networks are vehemently opposed to neighboring Azerbaijan, whose relations have been characterized by deep mutual distrust since independence (albeit with several thaws in between), to South Yemen’s recently defeated Houthi rebels in South Yemen’s recently defeated Southern Transitional Council (different from the internationally recognized government aligned with Saudi Arabia), and to RSF interests challenged by Iran’s alleged arms support for the SAF.
The listed parties whose interests are contested by these axes are therefore “hexagonal” candidates, and India is included because of last summer’s alliance between rivals Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and the possible involvement of its smaller rival Turkiye, although not all parties may want to openly oppose it. If that happens, there is a possibility that relations with Axis members, who have no problems whatsoever, will fundamentally deteriorate. Miscalculations may also increase the risk of more violent wars, whether proxy or direct.
For these reasons, Mr. Bibi has put his Israeli partners in a very awkward position by describing his vision of an Israel-centered security “hexagon” as an axis of opposition between Shiites and Sunnis. By speaking on their behalf and pitting them against networks of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and their partners, he undermined the balancing act practiced by some countries like India and Ethiopia. But while the damage is not irreparable, close ties with Israel may now be viewed with more suspicion by these two axes.
