According to an Israeli diplomat on Monday, Israel will soon appoint a military attaché to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
“Israel will soon 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.
“There is no set date at the moment. I’m assuming that by the summer, we’ll be completely staffed here, including the additional officials joining the embassy,” he said.
On February 3, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz paid a visit to the US Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, where he met with Fifth Fleet Commander Brad Cooper and Royal Bahraini Navy Force commanders.
The focus of the discussions was on the protection of international shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
The Israeli Navy then took part in the International Maritime Exercise (IMX) in the Red Sea region and Bahrain’s territorial waters, alongside fleets from approximately 60 countries and international organizations.
Bahrain, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sudan, and Morocco, is one of four Arab countries that have signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize relations with Israel by 2020.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, is currently in Israel with counterparts from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Israel, and the United States for a diplomatic summit.
