From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Bennett touts maritime security cooperation with US
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says Israel is working with the United States and regional allies to combat growing threats at sea, during a visit to two Israeli Navy bases today.
“Recently we have seen a rise in threats on the maritime front, in sailing and shipping lanes. I certainly see this as a threat, and we must know that the target is the State of Israel, but not only [Israel]. Therefore, I am particularly pleased with the growing and solidifying strategic cooperation with the United States on joint naval exercises and with other allies in the region,” Bennett says.
The premier appears to be referring to recent attacks against Israeli-owned ships in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere around the world that were allegedly conducted by Iran in retaliation for reported Israeli strikes on Iranian fuel tankers.
The Israeli Navy has increasingly been working with the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which operates in the seas throughout the Middle East, to confront these threats, following Israel’s move to the area of responsibility of the US military’s Central Command last year. Israel has also been increasingly cooperating with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, with whom it normalized ties in September 2020.
Bennett makes his remarks during a visit to two Israel Navy bases, the Haifa Base, which houses the military’s fleet of missile ships and submarines, along with other vessels, and the Atlit Base, which is home to the navy’s elite Shayetet 13.
At the Haifa Base, Bennett toured a Sa’ar-6 class ship, which recently entered service, and during his visit to Atlit, the prime minister sailed out to watch a demonstration at sea by Shayetet 13, his office says.
The Times of Israel Community.