Israeli media quoted an Israeli official as confirming that the UAE received interceptor missiles from the occupation for the "Iron Dome" system installed on its territory.
The Minister of Transportation in the occupation government, Miri Regev, confirmed for the first time officially and publicly that Israel provided the UAE with batteries and Iron Dome systems, in addition to interceptor missiles to protect its territory during the recent escalation with Iran, in an admission that is the clearest since the signing of the normalization agreements in 2020.
Regev said that the Emiratis "realized that ballistic missiles pose one of the biggest challenges," so they turned to Israel to acquire advanced air defense systems, Regev said.
Israeli reports indicated that the support was not limited to equipment, but also included the dispatch of complete air defense batteries with dozens of Israeli soldiers to be operated on the ground inside the UAE, in a move that reflects an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between the two sides.
According to the sources, the system was actually activated during the recent attacks, and was able to intercept dozens of rockets and drones that targeted sites and facilities inside the UAE, which was considered a successful practical test of the capabilities of the Iron Dome beyond Israel's borders.
This official announcement opens the door to a new phase of security coordination between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, and confirms the transition from political and economic normalization to a direct defense partnership on the ground.
Wide regional reactions
Israel's official recognition of the deployment of Iron Dome batteries and the presence of Israeli soldiers inside the UAE sparked a wave of mixed reactions in the region, ranging from sharp anger, denunciation, and anxious restraint, as Iran saw the presence of Israeli defense systems and soldiers close to its border across the Gulf as a red line and a direct threat to Iran's national security, while the media of Hezbollah and the Houthis, affiliated with Tehran, described this The move is a dangerous shift that makes the UAE a "defensive depth for Israel" and an advanced arena for confrontation with it.
The factions and the Palestinian Authority expressed widespread condemnation, considering that the military cooperation reaching the extent of protecting Arab lands with Israeli systems represents a stab at the Palestinian cause and a shift from political normalization to an organic military alliance with the occupation at the height of its aggressions.
Abu Dhabi remains silent
Saudi Arabia has remained silent, preferring to distance itself from any overt military cooperation with Israel, and adhering to its position that any political step is linked to actual progress towards a two-state solution, while the rest of the GCC countries reflect a state of anticipation and caution for fear that direct military involvement will lead to the transfer of the Israeli-Iranian conflict to the waters of the Gulf, threatening the security of navigation and the regional economy.
Abu Dhabi has not issued any official confirmation or denial, preferring to manage sensitive security files secretly to avoid political embarrassment, with a focus on its sovereign right to protect its facilities and economy from escalating missile threats.
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