NATO to Prioritize Southern Flank Threats at Ankara Summit

Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, representatives of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates will attend for the first time, seeking European assistance against Iranian missiles and drones that threaten their desalination infrastructure. Between February and May the Gulf foreign ministries repeatedly called European capitals, reportedly asking urgently for Patriot air‑defence batteries.

NATO leaders are interpreting the invitation as a signal to broaden the Alliance’s concept of a "southern flank" beyond the traditional eastern front. The agenda now includes instability in the Sahel, the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali and the potential spill‑over of Iranian drone capabilities—such as the Sahed‑136B model with a range of up to 4,000 km—into Europe. Spain, along with the United States, Britain, Italy and France, is expected to push for enhanced surveillance and collective defence measures for the region.

The summit marks a shift in NATO’s strategic focus, linking security concerns from the Middle East, the Sahel and Iran under a unified southern‑flank framework.