Israel and US naval forces launch joint patrols in Red Sea to mark NAVCENT move
Israel and US naval forces launch joint patrols in Red Sea to mark NAVCENT move
Israeli and US naval vessels are holding joint patrols in the Red Sea waters.
2 min read
NAVCENT say the movement of Israel to the US Central Command of responsibility will offer new opportunities for cooperation among regional navies in the Middle East [Getty-fiile photo]
Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌýÌýconductedÌýjoint maritime patrols in the Red Sea on Monday and Tuesday.
The operation marked Israel being officially shifted from theÌýUS European Command's area of responsibility to the US Navy's Central Command on Wednesday, a force that covers the Middle East and is based in Bahrain.
The US Navy said the move provides more opportunities for cooperation between Middle East naval forces, including Israel's.
Four Israeli and US naval vessels took part in the mission, beginning in theÌýGulf of Aqaba and sailing to the northeast of theÌýRed Sea, bordering Saudi Arabia and Egypt, according to a ).
The convoyÌýincluded the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61), an Israeli corvette, two patrol boats, and a US patrol aircraft.ÌýÌý
Vice AdmiralÌýBrad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT,ÌýUS 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, said the mission was intended to maintain securityÌýin the region.
"Our navies are ushering in a new era of expanded cooperation and capacity building," he said.
The Red Sea is a key shipping route for much of the world's oil exports andÌýborders several Arab states including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan.
Vessels in the Red Sea have been targeted by pirates from Somalia in the past and more recently Houthi rebels off the Yemen coast.
Vice Admiral Cooper said collaboration with other states for the patrol had "been tremendous"Ìýdue to them sharingÌý"a common understanding... that there is strength in unity".
The US 5th Fleet area of operations includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea.
This coversÌýcritical choke points including the, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and . Oil tankers have been targeted by alleged Iranian mines, missiles and drones here over the past month.
It also includesÌýthe Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌýStrait of Bab Al-Mandeb,Ìýwhich connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and is HQ'd in Bahrain.
Israel has agreed to normalisation deals with several Arab states over the past year, including the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
There has also been cooperation with other Arab countries such as Saudi ArabiaÌýwhich shares a common enmity with Iran.
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