TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Transatlantic Today) – Israel is currently participating in a massive US-led naval drill in the Middle East, officially joining Oman and Saudi Arabia, two countries with which it has no diplomatic ties despite normalizing relations with other Gulf governments.
The International Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMX 22) brings together about 60 countries and comes amid rising Gulf tensions following missile assaults by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement against the UAE, along with a foiled attack on a US facility.
According to Al Jazeera, the UAE intercepted a projectile during a visit by Israel’s president on Monday, the third similar attack in 2 weeks by the Houthis, who are fighting a Saudi-led coalition that involves the UAE.
In 2020, Israel improved relations with Gulf neighbors Bahrain and the UAE, which were brought together by common interests about Iran, and performed their first joint naval training in November.
However, this is the first occasion Israel has publicly engaged in an IMX practice with Saudi Arabia, with whom it has no diplomatic relations.
According to US Navy sources, Gulf neighbors Qatar and Kuwait, which likewise have no official ties with Israel, did not participate.
Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters as well as some CENTCOM (US military coordination umbrella organization for the Middle East) missions. Last year, Israel was added to CENTCOM.
On Wednesday, a US Navy official stated that while planners were cognizant of the geopolitical background of the participating countries, cooperation was high.
On Monday, the Israeli military announced that some of its forces would take part in a Red Sea practice with the US Fifth Fleet.
IMX 22 kicked off its seventh year on Monday from Bahrain’s Fifth Fleet, covering the Arabian Gulf (also known as the Persian Gulf), North Indian Ocean, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz paid a surprise visit to Bahrain.
Israel’s defense ministry announced Gantz’s travel shortly after he arrived in Manama on Wednesday, saying he will sign a joint military pact with Bahrain.
The Israeli defense ministry said nothing about the Houthi strikes, nor did it provide any specifics about a security agreement with Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy’s largest Gulf base.
