During the war with Iran, Israel sent the Iron Dome air defense system to the United Arab Emirates, along with the soldiers who used it operationally, Axios reported, citing two Israeli and one US official.
It is an unprecedented move that has not been publicly known until now, and which shows that military, security and intelligence cooperation between Israel and the UAE reached a new level during the war.
According to the Emirati Ministry of Defense, Iran has fired about 550 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as more than 2,200 drones, at the UAE since the start of the war. Most were intercepted, but some still hit military and civilian targets in the country.
Due to the scale of the attack, the Emirates, according to the same sources, requested the help of allies.
Axios reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, ordered the Israel Defense Forces to send one Iron Dome battery, interceptors and several dozen IDF personnel to man the system.
According to a senior Israeli official, it was the first time Israel had sent an Iron Dome battery to another country. The UAE thus became the first country outside of Israel and the USA to use this system.
An Israeli official claims the system has intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles.
A sensitive move in the Gulf
Although the deployment of Israeli soldiers on UAE territory is a politically sensitive issue in the Gulf, Emirati officials claim that the war with Iran has changed public perception.
One of them said that anyone who helped protect the country from Iranian attacks would be viewed positively.
On the other hand, Netanyahu could also face criticism in Israel for dividing an important defense system at a time when Israeli territory itself was under heavy attack.
“We will not forget it”
Israeli and Emirati officials say the two countries have closely coordinated military and political moves since the start of the war. Axios also adds that the Israeli Air Force has carried out multiple strikes on short-range missiles deployed in the south of Iran to prevent attacks on the UAE and other Gulf states.
Let us remind you that Israel and the UAE signed an agreement on the normalization of relations in 2020. Although there have been tensions since then, particularly over Gaza, both sides now claim the partnership is closer than ever.
“We will not forget it,” a senior Emirati official said of the help the UAE received from Israel and the Netanyahu government at a crucial time in the war.
Another Emirati official said the same is true of other countries that have helped defend the UAE, including the US, France, Great Britain, Italy and Australia.
“It was a real sobering moment. We saw who our real friends are,” he said.
(Vijesti.ba)
