Two Israeli and one American official told Axios that Israel sent an “Iron Dome air defense system to the United Arab Emirates” early in the war with Iran and deployed troops to operate it.
According to Axios, the significance of the matter is that military, security, and intelligence cooperation between Israel and the UAE has reached an unprecedented level during the war, and the deployment of the system on UAE soil had not been previously made public.
According to the report, since the beginning of the war, the UAE has been the target of more Iranian attacks than any other country in the region. The UAE Ministry of Defense announced that Iran has fired about 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the country. Most of these attacks have been intercepted, but some have hit military and civilian targets.
Following these widespread attacks, the UAE has asked its allies for help. “Israeli officials said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered” the country’s military to send an Iron Dome missile battery, interceptors and dozens of operational forces to the UAE after talks with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.
A senior Israeli official said that this was the first time Israel had sent such a system to another country, and the UAE was the first country outside the United States and Israel to use the system. According to another official, the system has intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles.
At the same time, Israeli and Emirati officials say the two sides have had close military and political coordination since the start of the war. The Israeli Air Force has also carried out several strikes to destroy short-range missiles stationed in southern Iran to prevent attacks on the UAE and other Persian Gulf countries.
However, “the deployment of Israeli forces on UAE soil could be politically sensitive in the region”. Emirati officials have said that the war with Iran has changed the outlook of many in the country, and that any side that helps defend the UAE will be seen positively.
In contrast, “Netanyahu’s decision to send a defense system” to the UAE at a time when Israel itself was under heavy attack could face criticism within the country.
Israel and the UAE signed a peace agreement in 2020, and despite disagreements, including over Gaza, officials on both sides say the current relationship is the closest they have ever been.
Source: iranwire
