IDF F-15 fighter jets accompanied two American B-1 bomber fighters and a US KC-10 plane, which crossed the Israeli skies on their way to the Gulf, the IDF announced on Thursday.
The flight took place as part of a collaboration with the US Army, which is a significant step in maintaining security in the skies of Israel and the Middle East," the statement read.
מטוסי קרב של צה"ל מסוג בז (F-15), ליוו היום שני מפציצים אמריקאיים מדגם B-1b, ומטוס תדלוק אמריקאי מדגם KC-10 אשר חצו את שמי מדינת ישראל בדרכם מהמפרץ.הטיסה התקיימה כחלק משיתוף הפעולה עם צבא ארה"ב, שמהווה נדבך משמעותי בשמירה על ביטחון שמי מדינת ישראל והמזרח התיכון pic.twitter.com/yVJb8lDWxB
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 11, 2021
The US is also collaborating with Israel, UAE and Bahrain on a multilateral maritime drill in the Red Sea, which was also announced on Thursday.
The drill will reportedly last five days, where "the training will enhance interoperability between participating forces’ maritime interdiction teams," according to a statement by the United States Naval Forces Central Command.
Furthermore, the Iranian military launched its annual drill near the mouth of the Gulf on Sunday, which was a few weeks before the resumption of talks between Tehran and foreign states regarding the 2015 nuclear deal.
These reports come recently after Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jets escorted an American B-1 heavy bomber above Israeli airspace last month when it was headed toward the Persian Gulf.
Anna Ahronheim and Reuters contributed to this report.