Israel delivered state-of-the-art defensive weaponry to the United Arab Emirates to assist the Gulf state in protecting itself against a heavy wave of Iranian missiles and drones, The Financial Times reported on Thursday.
This assistance marked one of the earliest major instances of defense collaboration between the two countries since they established formal diplomatic relations through the 2020 Abraham Accords, which were facilitated by US President Donald Trump during his first term in office. A regional official quoted in The Financial Times described the move as a clear demonstration of “the value of being Israel’s friend."
According to individuals with direct knowledge of the operation, Israel rapidly transferred a lightweight surveillance system known as Spectro. This equipment enabled UAE forces to identify incoming drones, particularly Iranian-made Shahed models, from distances of up to 20 kilometers.
Israel also supplied a version of its Iron Beam laser-based defense system. The laser is designed to destroy short-range rockets and drones by vaporizing them. Israel had first used the Iron Beam earlier this year to intercept projectiles launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organization from Lebanon. The deployment of both the Iron Beam and Spectro systems to the UAE had not been publicly reported until now.
These defensive systems complemented the Iron Dome air defense battery that Israel had previously provided to the UAE, along with “several dozen" Israeli military personnel to operate the equipment. Additional weapons systems and Israeli personnel were also sent to the Gulf nation. One source noted, “It’s not a small number of boots on the ground."
In addition to supplying hardware, Israel provided the UAE with critical real-time intelligence regarding preparations for short-range missile launches from western Iran that were directed at the emirate. The UAE absorbed the largest share of Iran’s retaliatory attacks during the joint US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Iran launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and approximately 2,000 drones toward the UAE. The vast majority of these threats were successfully intercepted through a combination of air defense systems, including Israeli-supplied technology, according to The Financial Times.