Persian Gulf (Times Of Ocean)- Israel is preparing to appoint a military attache to theUS Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, an Israeli diplomat said on Monday. Normalization
“Israel will appoint a military attache to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain,” Eitan Naeh, Tel Aviv’s Ambassador in Manama, told Israeli Army Radio, adding that the move “will happen soon”.
“There is no fixed date yet. I assume that by the summer we will have our staff full here, including the additional officials who will join the embassy,” he said.
In his trip to the small Arab state on Feb 3, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited the US Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain and met with its commander Brad Cooper and commanders from the Royal Bahraini Navy Force.
The Persian Gulf and the Red Sea were discussed as international shipping routes.
The Israeli Navy took part in the International Maritime Exercise (IMX) in the Red Sea region and the territorial waters of Bahrain in mid-Feb alongside fleets of about 60 countries and international organizations.
Along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sudan and Morocco, Bahrain is another Arab nation that signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize their relations with Israel in 2020.
Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, Bahrain’s minister of foreign affairs, is currently in Israel joining his counterparts from Egypt, the UAE, Morocco, Israel, and the United States for a diplomatic summit.
Since normalization in 2020, ties between Israel and Bahrain have deepened.