The Israeli Navy and a US Navy destroyer conducted a joint exercise on Sunday at Eilat's port as part of ongoing cooperation between Israel and the US in the Red Sea, the IDF announced on Monday.
"The arrival of the destroyer at this port highlights the close cooperation between the two navies and the respective militaries," the IDF declared in its statement.
The destroyer, the USS Delbert D. Black, had docked at Eilat on Friday. The IDF claimed at the time that its arrival was a pre-planned routine visit, despite ongoing rumors of an imminent strike on Iran from the US.
US-Iran tensions heighten with arrival of destroyer
The USS Delbert D. Black entering the region brought the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, along with an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships, during a time when tensions between the US and Iran are heightened.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that talks with Iran were ongoing, despite the presence of the military ships.
"We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones... and we have talks going on with Iran. We'll see how it works out," he told reporters in the White House.
Lara Sukster Mosheyof, James Genn, and Reuters contributed to this report.