The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reported to have moved closer to Israel, with Tel Aviv deploying its powerful Iron Dome interceptor system to the Gulf nation fighting Iran missile threat.
A report by US-based news outlet Axios has said that Israel sent “an Iron Dome air defence system with troops to operate it,” citing two Israeli officials and one US official. The report added that the rare deployment took place early in the war.
According to the report, this marks the “first time Israel had sent an Iron Dome battery to another country,” adding that the UAE became “the first country outside of the US and Israel” where the system was used, a senior Israeli official said.
The outreach came as the UAE emerged as one of the hardest-hit countries in the region since the war began. Emirati authorities said Iran launched an intense barrage, firing around 550 ballistic and cruise missiles along with more than 2,200 drones, since the war with the US and Israel began on February 28. Track US-Iran war live updates.
UAE President’s call to Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly took the decision to deploy Iron Dome after speaking with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, Axios reported.
The Israel Defence Forces is said to have sent an Iron Dome battery along with interceptors and several dozen personnel to operate it on the ground.
Alongside the deployment, the Israeli Air Force carried out multiple strikes targeting short-range missile positions in southern Iran, aiming to neutralise threats even before they could reach the UAE and other Gulf states, the report added.
The Iran-UAE tensions effectively opened the door for Israeli troops to operate on Emirati soil — a move that would have been politically sensitive in normal circumstances. But with the war intensifying, that calculus shifted.
An Emirati official told Axios that, given the scale of the threat, anyone helping defend the country would now be seen in a positive light.
UAE Presidential advisor on Israeli influence
Earlier this month, UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash noted that Israeli influence in the region would grow as a consequence of Iran’s actions, news agency AFP reported.
Gargash was separately talking about the relationship with Iran this week, when he added that rebuilding trust between Abu Dhabi and Tehran will take “ages and ages”.
The Middle East conflict, triggered by Israeli and US strikes on Iran in late February, prompted Tehran to retaliate against US allies in the Gulf. Although a ceasefire was agreed at the start of the month, efforts to sustain peace have stalled.
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