Security challenges dominated talks between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Bahrain’s top officials on Tuesday.
King Hamad bin Isa welcomed the Israeli premier, expressing hope that his visit would contribute to promoting cooperation to “serve mutual interests.”
Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad emphasized, for his part, “the importance to strengthen joint action and enhance areas of cooperation, in light of the signing of the Declaration of Support for Peace and the Abraham Accords,” with the aim to achieve common interests.
The Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said that the Crown Prince discussed with the Israeli prime minister “issues of common interest and regional and international files, as well as means to enhance bilateral cooperation at all levels.”
In remarks, Bennett said that Bahrain and Israel were dealing with major security challenges that stem from Iran, warning against an expected deal between the international community and Tehran over its nuclear program.
“We believe that concluding an agreement with Iran constitutes a strategic mistake because this agreement will enable it to maintain its nuclear capabilities and to obtain hundreds of billions of dollars that will strengthen its terrorist machine that harms many countries in the region and in the world,” the Israeli premier said in an interview with a local Bahraini newspaper.
A US official said that the US Navy was considering including Israeli drones in its joint operations in the Middle East, in a move that may consolidate Israel’s growing role in the region’s military arrangements.
Bennett met on Tuesday with the commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. He noted that the Fifth Fleet “is an important element in maintaining regional stability in the face of various security threats.”
Officials said that Israel was set to become the 29th country to appoint a military attaché to the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama.
