Israel takes part in naval exercise with Saudi Arabia, Oman

Israel is for the first time taking part in the US Navy-led International Maritime Exercise.
Image released by US Naval Forces Central Command on Jan. 31, 2022, shows Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa (C); Vice Admiral Brad Cooper (C-L); and Maggie Nardi (2nd-L), charge d'affairs, US Embassy to Bahrain, at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain.
This handout image released by the US Naval Forces Central Command on Jan. 31, 2022, shows Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa (C), Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Prime Minister of Bahrain; Vice Admiral Brad Cooper (C-L), commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; and Maggie Nardi (2nd-L), charge d'affairs, US Embassy to Bahrain, posing for a photo with US and Bahraini officials at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain. - MARK THOMAS MAHMOD/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Israel is participating in a US Navy-led maritime exercise with Saudi Arabia and Oman, despite lacking diplomatic relations with both countries. 

The International Maritime Exercise (IMX) is the largest in the region, with 60 countries and some 9,000 personnel participating this year. IMX kicked off Monday at the US 5th Fleet’s headquarters in Bahrain, and the exercise will take place across the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and North Indian Ocean.

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