Israel and the United States launched the first joint operation of its kind in the Red Sea to thwart threats by Iran-backed militias, Kan reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, an American intelligence-gathering aircraft that detects naval vessels landed at Uvda Air Force Base in southern Israel and is taking part in naval activities together with the Israeli Navy.
“Cooperation with the Americans has been made possible after Israel’s joining of the Central Command’s Area of Responsibility,” the report said, referring to Israel’s move from the U.S. Military’s European Command (EUCOM) to Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East.
The Red Sea patrols aim at uncovering Shi’ite militia activities aimed at conducting attacks at Israel from Yemen, among other missions, the report said.
The development comes after the Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, stationed at Bahrain, V. Adm. Brad Cooper, told CNN that Israeli unmanned naval vessels were taking part in American operations in the Middle East.
In February, Kan reported that Israel enabled an American officer to take part, for the first time, in an Israeli Air Force exercise simulating long-range targets, including in Iran. The exercise reportedly involved tens of aircraft, and was held as Iran nuclear talks appeared to approach their final round.
