US, Israel and Gulf Arab allies launch joint Red Sea drill

By AYA BATRAWY
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Naval forces from the United States, Israel and two Gulf Arab states are taking part in a joint security drill in the Red Sea, a vital shipping route that feeds into the Suez Canal. The U.S. 5th Fleet said on Thursday that the five-day multilateral maritime exercise with Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain began on Wednesday. It includes at-sea training on search and seizure tactics and comes a little more than a year after the UAE and Bahrain normalized ties with Israel. The Red Sea is a key shipping route for energy supplies.