Israel for the first time has taken part in the largest international naval exercise in the world IMX (International Maritime Exercise).
Israeli Navy confirmed their join in the International Maritime Exercise by issuing a statement on the official website of Israel Defense Forces on Thursday.
The participants included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen who do not have diplomatic ties with Israel.
Several countries with which Israel recently normalised relations — such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — also participated. Bahrain is a close US ally and hosts the 5th Fleet of the US Navy.
The biennial drill was launched in 2012 and has become “the largest multinational naval exercise in the Middle East,” the US Navy said.
This was Israel’s first participation in a military exercise with countries that do not have diplomatic ties with the state.
The exercise took place in the Red Sea region, the naval area of Bahrain in the Gulf.
US Fifth Fleet led the exercise with the participation of about 60 navies and international organizations.
During the exercise, the fighters of the unit for underwater missions trained alongside their counterparts from the Fifth Fleet.
The training includes neutralizing naval mining, locating and extracting.
At the same time, in the north of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Eilat, the fighters of the missile ship flotilla practised rescue operations and marine medicine scenarios alongside the Coast Guard forces of the Fifth Fleet.
However, the practice of scenarios in cooperation with the forces of the Fifth Fleet is another expression of the international activity of the naval arms in general, and of the strategic and operational cooperation with the Fifth American Navy.
The Commander of the Israeli Navy Major General David Saar Selma stated, "The participation of the Israel Navy in the IMX exercise led by the US Navy shows the growing connection between the fleets”.
“We coordinate and work with our American partners. Prevent terrorism in the maritime space and strengthen security in the regional maritime arena. Together, we will continue to develop and deepen our cooperation.” he added.
