A senior official in the Israel Navy commented on Thursday evening on the joint exercise being conducted by the IDF together with the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
"The threat of the Iranian establishment in the region is also a threat in the maritime aspect, and we have to prepare for it. In the sea, the Iranians are quite independent and it is important to keep the Iranian naval establishment away from the State of Israel in order to prevent terrorism," the source said.
"We need to strengthen our international partnerships. The partnership with the Americans is an important partnership,” he continued.
“This exercise is part of a working plan in the face of the Iranian establishment, together with the Americans, with Bahrain and the UAE participating in the exercise. This is the first time that a meeting of exchanging of knowledge has taken place between us and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. In this meeting there is a rotation of operational techniques whose function is to allow us freedom of action and other things. Thus, we will expand the scope of action of the naval arm for the benefit of the IDF and for the benefit of the State of Israel. This action is necessary in the face of the Iranian establishment."
Navy officials are saying they intend to continue to cultivate ties with the countries participating in the exercise. "As part of this, we are anticipating more joint exercises in the future. We intend to do additional exercises with the Marines in the naval arena. We are practicing both in Aqaba Bay and in the Red Sea."