Israel sent an Iron Dome air-defense system to the United Arab Emirates during the early stages of the war with Iran to protect its ally, officials have revealed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Jewish state’s military to send one of the extraordinary defense systems, along with several dozen Israeli soldiers to operate it, to protect its strategic partner from Iran’s mass retaliatory attacks, Israeli sources told Axios.
The move marks the first time the Jewish state has provided a Gulf country with its aerial defense system, with the Iron Dome battery successfully intercepting dozens of Iranian missiles during the war, Israeli officials told the outlet.
The UAE and Israel have maintained a strong relationship since signing a peace treaty in 2020, with officials in Abu Dhabi praising Israel and the US for their help during the war.
The decision to help bolster the UAE’s defenses came after a call between Netanyahu and Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed.
As part of its assault across the Middle East, Iran fired about 550 ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE, along with more than 2,200 drones, the Emirati Ministry of Defense estimated.
The sheer onslaught is more than what Iran fired at any other country during the war, a direct message from Tehran regarding the UAE’s close relationship with Israel, according to the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.
While the majority of missiles and drones were intercepted, several projectiles were able to get throughthe joint UAE-Israeli defenses, hitting military and civilian targets.
The UAE metropolis of Dubai was among the repeated targets, with Iranian drones able to hit its International Financial Center, US consulate building and airfields.
Along with the US and Israel, Abu Dhabi has taken notice of the efforts from France, the UK, Italy and Australia to defend the UAE during the war.
“It was a real eye-opening moment. To see who our real friends are,” an Emirati official told Axios.
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