HAIFA, Israel, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will host a combined search and rescue exercise with the participation of Turkish and U.S. Naval and Air Forces on Tuesday, aiming at strengthening coordination in potential maritime and humanitarian emergencies, Xinhua learnt on Monday.

　　The exercises off the coast of Israel, dubbed "Reliant Mermaid" marked the ninth year on end the three nations have held joint rescue maneuvers.

　　Ilan Shriqui, the commander of Israeli missile fleet told Xinhua on Monday that the annual exercise will be launched in the Israeli port of Haifa and take place in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

　　Participating nations say the exercise, involving a small number of ships from each country's forces, along with several helicopters and search aircraft, is designed merely to develop coordination in handling rescue operations at sea.

　　"By enhancing their interoperability, cooperation level during the exercise, elements of the three naval and air forces will be able to respond more efficiently to emergencies in the future," Shriqui added.

　　Israel has close diplomatic ties with Turkey, which has been a key ally of the Jewish state since 1996, when the two countries signed a military cooperation deal, much to the anger of Arab countries and Iran.