Manama (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz called for deeper cooperation with Gulf partners to confront "maritime and aerial threats", as he toured the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain on Thursday.
Gantz, the first Israeli defence minister to visit the Gulf country, toured the guided missile destroyer USS Cole -- which is set to make its way to Abu Dhabi to help defend the United Arab Emirates against attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed rebels.
The US base lies just across the Gulf from Iran.The waters are crossed by hundreds of oil and cargo vessels every day.
There has been an increase in attacks on shipping in recent years that the United States and its allies have blamed on Iran. The Islamic republic denies the allegations.
"Against a backdrop of increasing maritime and aerial threats, our ironclad cooperation is more important than ever," Gantz tweeted.
"We reaffirmed our commitment to stand united in defence of the sovereignty of our regional partners as well as peace and stability in the region."
Gantz arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday on the first official visit by an Israeli defence minister.It follows the normalisation of relations between the two countries in 2020.
"This visit highlights the importance of the US 5th Fleet's decades-long strategic relationship with Bahrain and expanding partnership with Israel following the recent alignment of Israel to US Central Command," the command's naval forces chief Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement.
Gantz's visit comes as a US-led maritime exercise -- involving 60 countries and organisations -- is under way in and around the Gulf, with Israel joining for the first time alongside countries that do not recognise it, including Saudi Arabia.
The exercise comes at a time of regional tensions over Iran's nuclear programme and Yemeni rebels' recent targeting of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones.
While Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel, the two US allies share a desire to contain their common foe Iran.
