US, Israel, UAE, Bahrain conduct military naval exercise in Red Sea

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel and Bahrain began 5-day joint naval forces maneuvers in the Red Sea, said a statement.

It is the first publicly announced joint exercise between the four countries one year after the UAE and Bahrain signed a US-sponsored normalization deal with Israel in September 2020.

The multinational forces "began conducting a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea, Nov. 10," according to a statement by the US Naval Central Command (NAVCENT).

"It is exciting to see U.S. forces training with regional partners to enhance our collective maritime security capabilities," said NAVCENT commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper.

"Maritime collaboration helps safeguard freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade, which are essential to regional security and stability," Cooper added.

The maneuvers include at-sea training and search and seizure tactics using the USS Portland dock ship, aimed at enhancing "the interoperability between the participating forces' maritime interdiction teams."

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara