Global Maritime Drill to Support Security in the Middle East Kicks Off

Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa with naval officials during the launch of IMX/CE22 at the Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. (CENTCOM)
Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa with naval officials during the launch of IMX/CE22 at the Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. (CENTCOM)
TT

Global Maritime Drill to Support Security in the Middle East Kicks Off

Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa with naval officials during the launch of IMX/CE22 at the Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. (CENTCOM)
Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa with naval officials during the launch of IMX/CE22 at the Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. (CENTCOM)

The International Maritime Exercise (IMX/CE22) kicked off with the participation of the Egyptian Naval Forces and the Western Joint Forces Command.

IMX/CE22 is one of the most extensive joint international maritime exercises globally and the largest in the Middle East, with the participation of 51 countries at the Joint Command Center for Training in Bahrain.

The combined training includes 9,000 personnel and 50 ships from more than 60 partner nations and international organizations operating across two regions.

It is also the largest unmanned exercise globally, with more than 80 unmanned systems from 10 nations participating.

The Egyptian military spokesman said that the training, which will last for several days, comes within the framework of the plan of the General Command of the Armed Forces to upgrade the level of forces and exchange experiences with the armed forces of brotherly and friendly countries, and support efforts for maritime security and stability in the region.

The training is expected to witness several theoretical and practical training activities to unify maritime concepts among the participating countries.

It will also include training on confronting atypical maritime threats, implementing naval security measures, securing ships carrying important cargo, and combating naval mines.

Training will also focus on enhancing capabilities in command and control, sea control, maritime security operations, medical training, and mine countermeasures.

The drill underscores the depth of the strategic partnership and the extended relations between the Egyptian Armed Forces and their counterparts from the countries participating in the training, according to the spokesman.

IMX/CE22 is the seventh iteration of IMX since its establishment in 2012 and will conclude on Feb. 17.



Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
TT

Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A Lebanese security source said the target of a deadly Israeli airstrike on central Beirut early Saturday was a senior Hezbollah official, adding it was unclear whether he was killed.

"The Israeli strike on Basta targeted a leading Hezbollah figure," the security official told AFP without naming the figure, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The early morning airstrike has killed at least 15 people and injured 63, according to authorities, and had brought down an eight-storey building nearby, in the second such attack on the working-class neighbourhood of Basta in as many months.

"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives with his family in a building facing the one that was hit.

"It felt like they had targeted my house," he said, asking to be identified by only his first name because of security concerns.

There had been no evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military for the Basta area.

After the strike, Samir fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and two children, aged 14 and just three.

On Saturday morning, dumbstruck residents watched as an excavator cleared the wreckage of the razed building and rescue efforts continued, with nearby buildings also damaged in the attack, AFP journalists reported.

The densely packed district has welcomed people displaced from traditional Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut, after Israel intensified its air campaign on September 23, later sending in ground troops.

"We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more," Samir told AFP, reporting minor damage to his home.

Since last Sunday, four deadly Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

Residents across the city and its outskirts awoke at 0400 (0200 GMT) on Saturday to loud explosions and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

"It was the first time I've woken up screaming in terror," said Salah, a 35-year-old father of two who lives in the same street as the building that was targeted.

"Words can't express the fear that gripped me," he said.

Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since war broke out, after deadly twin strikes early in October hit the area and the Nweiri neighbourhood.

Last month's attacks killed 22 people and had targeted Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa, who made it out alive, a source close to the group told AFP.

Salah said his wife and children had been in the northern city of Tripoli, about 70 kilometres away (45 miles), but that he had to stay in the capital because of work.

His family had been due to return this weekend because their school reopens on Monday, but now he has decided against it following the attack.

"I miss them. Every day they ask me: 'Dad, when are we coming home?'" he said.

Lebanon's health ministry says that more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, after Hezbollah initiated exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its Iran-backed ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

However, most of the deaths in Lebanon have been since September this year.

Despite the trauma caused by Saturday's strike, Samir said he and his family had no choice but to return home.

"Where else would I go?" he asked.

"All my relatives and siblings have been displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs and from the south."