BAHRAIN: Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has arrived in Bahrain on an unannounced visit amid heightened tensions in the Gulf after missile attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Announcing Gantz’s trip only after his arrival in Manama, Israel’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday he would sign a security cooperation agreement with Bahrain, which along with the neighbouring UAE normalised relations with Israel in 2020. The UAE on Monday intercepted a missile during a visit by Israel’s president, the third such attack in two weeks claimed by the Houthis, who are battling a Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE.
In disclosing Gantz’s official visit, the Israeli defence ministry made no mention of the Houthi attacks nor gave details of what a security accord with Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s main base in the Gulf, would include. –Agencies
