US Fifth Fleet commander meets Navy chief Eyal Harel amid Iran tensions

The IDF announced Friday that the commander of the US Fifth Fleet in US Central Command, Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw, concluded his visit to Israel today as the guest of the Commander of the Navy, Maj.-Gen. Eyal Harel. During the visit, he met with the Commander of the Navy and the branch's senior command.The commanders discussed the Navy's operations during the fighting across the various arenas, strengthening the partnership to maintain regional stability and the security of shipping lanes, mutual coordination between the navies, and technological knowledge sharing.The visit takes place amid high regional tensions with Iran, with an emphasis on the maritime arena, and therefore carries great significance.The US military's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain and responsible for the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, has been involved in recent months in clashes with Iran and in enforcing the US naval blockade on Iranian ports.Such a visit can be seen as allowing the fleet commander to synchronize a broader intelligence picture, as the Israeli Navy has assisted the US military in building an intelligence picture of the Strait of Hormuz, including locating targets and compiling data for strikes.Cooperation in Bab al-Mandab StraitIn addition, the US military is working to ensure freedom of navigation at sensitive strategic chokepoints that are also of interest and importance to Israel, such as the…