Bahrain Mirror- AFP: The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel, and the United States Central Command's armed forces have launched multilateral maritime security operations in the Red Sea to "strengthen interoperability."

Navy exercises include boarding, search, and seizure training on the USS Portland amphibious transport dock.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are conducting their first joint naval exercise with Israel a year after relations have normalized.

The U.S. Navy said its five-day operation in the Red Sea, which began Wednesday, was Israel heading to the Mediterranean Sea through liUS, the Gulf States, and the Suez Canal, with the aim of "strengthening interoperability among participating forces." Said that.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper of the United States Naval Forces Central Commander (NAVCENT) said:

"Marine cooperation helps protect the freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade that are essential to the security and stability of the region."

Exercises include boarding, search, and seizure training on the USS Portland amphibious transport dock.

This is the first public announcement of military cooperation with Israel since the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain began diplomatic relations last September.

Sharing concerns about Iran

The normalization agreement, which also involved Morocco and Sudan, broke the Arab decades of consensus that diplomatic relations should not exist without the resolution of the Palestinian conflict.

Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the United States share concerns about Iran, which has previously been accused of organizing attacks on shipping in the region.

The Red Sea borders Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition has fought with government forces against Iran-backed rebels since 2015.

It is next to the Gulf of Aden, where attacks on transport by Somali-based pirates surged during the first decade of the 21st century, before most navy patrols around the world stopped.

Arabic Version