Israel sent an Iron Dome air defense system to the United Arab Emirates, along with forces to operate it, at the start of the war with Iran, two Israeli officials and one US official told the American news site Axios.
According to the report, the massive attacks sustained by the United Arab Emirates led the country to ask its allies for assistance. It was also claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israel Defense Forces to send an Iron Dome battery, along with missile interceptors and several dozen IDF operators, after a conversation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Israeli officials said.
According to Axios, this was the first time Israel had sent an Iron Dome battery to another country, and the United Arab Emirates was the first country outside the US and Israel where the system was used, a senior Israeli official said. The system intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles, a second Israeli official said.
The deployment of Israeli forces on UAE soil could be politically sensitive in the Gulf. However, Emirati officials said the war with Iran had changed the mindset of many people in the United Arab Emirates. One official said anyone seen as helping defend the country against Iranian attacks would be viewed positively.
