Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet on Thursday morning after arriving in Bahrain on a surprise visit the day before. He was accompanied by the commander of the Fifth Fleet, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, as well as the commander of the Israeli Navy, Vice Adm. David Saar Salama.
“In the past year, partially due to the Abraham Accords and Israel’s move to CENTCOM, cooperation between the IDF and the Fifth Fleet has grown, as have the defense systems,” said Gantz, calling the event “a significant milestone.”
Gantz arrived in Bahrain to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gulf nation on security matters. He is expected to meet with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and other Bahraini leaders.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett paid a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, the first official visit to the country by an Israeli leader since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 2020. Israeli President Isaac Herzog last week became the first Israeli president to visit the UAE.