To thwart Iranian threats, Israel has sent military personnel and the Iron Dome air defence batteries to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, openly stated.
The first formal public admission of direct Israeli military support to a Gulf partner during the ongoing crisis was made during a symposium at Tel Aviv University.
According to the US Ambassador to Israel, Israel dispatched military personnel and Iron Dome air defence batteries to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the ongoing crisis with Iran.
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Associated Press, in a report, claimed that Huckabee characterised the action as an indication of the expanding strategic alliance between Israel and the United Arab Emirates since the signature of the Abraham Accords in 2020, when speaking at the Tel Aviv Conference on Tuesday.
"I'd like to say a word of appreciation for the United Arab Emirates, the first Abraham Accords member," Huckabee said at the Tel Aviv Conference.
"Just look at the benefits. Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them," he stated.
Huckabee's remarks highlight the strengthening defence ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, two nations that have long harboured misgivings about Iran, while a precarious ceasefire in the Iran war continues.
It is Israel's first officially recognised military deployment to the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikdoms on the Arabian Peninsula that includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
However, Tehran continues to control the small Strait of Hormuz, and talks between the US and Iran seem to be at a standstill for the time being, increasing the likelihood that the conflict may resurface.
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The development coincides with allegations that the UAE may have secretly participated in the fighting.
The UAE allegedly conducted covert military operations within Iran in early April, including an assault on a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island, according to a Wall Street Journal article that Reuters cited.
According to Reuters, the assertions could not be independently verified.
The most recent revelations are probably going to increase scrutiny of the growing regional solidarity against Iran and the more visible character of Israel-Gulf security coordination.
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