Axios: Israel quietly deployed an Iron Dome battery to the UAE as the Iran war began

The American news site "Axios" reported today (Sunday) that at the outset of Operation "Lion's Roar," Israel sent to the United Arab Emirates an "Iron Dome" air-defense battery, along with Israel Defense Forces personnel responsible for operating it. According to the report, which cited two Israeli officials and one American official, the move was carried out early in the fighting, as the Emirates became a primary target for Iranian attacks.

According to data from the UAE Ministry of Defense, Iran launched about 550 ballistic and cruise missiles at the country, as well as more than 2,200 unmanned aerial vehicles. Most of the threats were intercepted, but some struck military and civilian targets. In response to the extraordinary scale of the attacks, the UAE turned to its allies to request security assistance.

Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF to station an "Iron Dome" battery in the Emirates, including interceptors and dozens of soldiers, after a call he held with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. An Israeli official noted that the system succeeded in intercepting dozens of Iranian missiles.

In addition to deploying the system, the Israeli Air Force carried out numerous strikes in southern Iran against short-range missiles intended to hit the Emirates and other Gulf states. The report also indicates that since the war broke out, Israel and the UAE have maintained close coordination on both the military and diplomatic levels.

According to the publication, this is the first instance in which an "Iron Dome" battery has been transferred to a foreign country. A senior Israeli official said the United Arab Emirates is the first country, aside from Israel and the United States, in which the air-defense system has been operated.