Context: The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are holding their first joint naval exercise with Israel, a year after normalising ties with the Jewish state, the U.S. Navy in the Red Sea.

Key Points

• The UAE and Bahrain in 2020 normalised diplomatic relations with Israel under a US-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords, brought together by shared worries about Iran and hopes of economic gains.
• The US 5th Fleet/NAVCENT is based in the Gulf island state of Bahrain and operates in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
• Since February 2021, Iran and Israel have been accused of engaging in what analysts have called a "shadow war", in which vessels linked to each nation have come under attack in waters around the Gulf in tit-for-tat exchanges.
• Negotiations between Iran and major powers (P5+1) on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal will resume in Vienna on 29th November 2021, with failure carrying the risk of a sharp spike in regional tensions.
• The five-day exercise in the Red Sea is intended to enhance interoperability between participating forces.
• Maritime collaboration helps safeguard freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade, which are essential to regional security and stability.
• The exercises include boarding, search and seizure training on the USS Portland, an amphibious transport dock ship.

About the Red Sea 

• It is a semi-enclosed tropical basin, bounded by northeastern Africa, to the west, and the Arabian peninsula, to the east.
• The basin extends between the Mediterranean Sea, to the north-west, and the Indian Ocean, to the south-east.
• At the northern end, it separates into the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.
• At the southern end, it is connected to the Gulf of Aden, and the outer Indian Ocean, via the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb.
• It is one of the youngest oceanic zones on Earth.
• The unique habitats of the Red sea support a wide range of marine life, including sea turtles, dugongs, dolphins and many endemic fish species.
• Coral reefs mainly extend along the northern and central coasts.