US, Israel Conclude Exercise to Seize Warship in Red Sea

A flotilla of Israeli navy ships on August 10, 2021. (AFP/Getty Images)
A flotilla of Israeli navy ships on August 10, 2021. (AFP/Getty Images)
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US, Israel Conclude Exercise to Seize Warship in Red Sea

A flotilla of Israeli navy ships on August 10, 2021. (AFP/Getty Images)
A flotilla of Israeli navy ships on August 10, 2021. (AFP/Getty Images)

The Israeli Army announced on Friday that its commando unit, Shayetet 13, concluded a four-day joint maritime exercise with US naval forces.

The exercise included an operation to seize an enemy warship deep in the Red Sea.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson's Unit said in a statement that the Israeli and US navies concluded the “Noble Rose” joint exercise, which took place in the Red Sea with the participation of Israeli commandos and the US 5th Fleet and a refueling tanker.

The forces simulated various operational scenarios in the Red Sea, including the seizure of a naval vessel and the use of advanced naval equipment.

“We strengthened the scope of our operations and deepened the professional dialogue between our navies,” the spokesperson said.

The exercise is part of a series of drills and international cooperation activities that have been held recently as part of Israel’s annual training plan for 2022.

Summing up the maneuver, Commander of the Israeli Navy Vice Adm. David Saar Salama stressed that maintaining the superiority of the navy in the maritime domain is a direct contribution to Israel’s security.

"During this exercise we managed to deepen our relations with Israel's most important ally - the United States. Together we develop solutions, share knowledge, create a common language and increase our scope of activity. I am certain that the dialogue will continue to increase, and will bring about significant achievements in the future."

He noted that he was confident that Israel will continue to strengthen its dialogue with the US to realize great achievements in the future.



2 Elephants Die in Flash Flooding in Northern Thailand

This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)
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2 Elephants Die in Flash Flooding in Northern Thailand

This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)

Two elephants drowned during flash flooding in popular Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai, their sanctuary said Sunday, as local authorities evacuated visitors from their hotels and shops closed in the city center.

More than 100 elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai province were moved to higher ground to escape rapidly rising flood waters, an employee who gave her name as Dada, told AFP.

But two elephants -- named in local media as 16-year-old Fahsai and 40-year-old Ploython, who was blind -- were found dead on Saturday.

"My worst nightmare came true when I saw my elephants floating in the water," Saengduean Chailert, the director of the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand, told local media.

"I will not let this happen again, I will not make them run from such a flood again," she said, vowing to move them to higher ground ahead of next year's monsoon.

In Chiang Mai city center, people waded through muddy water close to knee height in the night bazaar, and water flowed into the central train station, which has now been closed.

Tourists were forced to evacuate hotels and a local TV station showed a monk carrying a coffin through floodwaters to a cremation site.

Major inundations have struck parts of northern Thailand as recent heavy downpours caused the Ping River to reach "critical" levels, according to the district office. The water level peaked on Saturday but had receded slightly by Sunday.

Thailand's northern provinces have been hit by large floods since Typhoon Yagi struck the region in early September, with one district reporting its worst inundations in 80 years.

Twenty provinces are currently flooded, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Sunday.