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UAE, Bahrain, Israel and U.S. forces in first joint naval drill

12 November 2021 03:29 (UTC +04:00)

Forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) began a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea on Wednesday, NAVCENT said on Thursday, APA reports quoting Reuters.

This is the first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and the two Gulf countries.

An Israeli naval officer, briefing reporters in Israel on the drill, said the start of such military cooperation under U.S. auspices could help counter Iran's "power projection" in the region.

The UAE and Bahrain last year normalised diplomatic relations with Israel under a U.S.-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords, brought together by shared worries about Iran and hopes of economic gains.

Negations between Iran and major powers on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal resume in Vienna on Nov. 29, with failure carrying the risk of a sharp spike in regional tensions.

The five-day exercise includes training on the USS Portland vessel and will "enhance interoperability between participating forces' maritime interdiction teams", a U.S. statement said.