Israel had not just sent its iconic Iron Dome air defence system to the United Arab Emirates when Iran was attacking the Gulf country. According to a report by the Financial Times, Israel also sent an advanced laser to the UAE for it to defend itself from Iranian missiles and drones.
The deployment of the advanced laser would be one of the first examples of major defence co-operation between Israel and the UAE. The two countries did not have diplomatic relations until US President Donald Trump brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords.Â
A regional official told the publication that the laser system was a display of “the value of being Israel’s friend”.
Israel also sent over an advanced surveillance system known as ‘Spectro’ to the UAE for it to defend itself against incoming drones from as far as 20 kilometres away, especially the Shaheds.
The report stated that the offensive and defensive systems sent to the UAE were mostly prototypes and had not even been fully integrated into Israel’s weapon systems.
About The ‘Iron Beam’ Laser System
Tel Aviv sent a version of its Iron Beam laser defence system to the UAE, which vaporises short-range rockets and drones. It was first used by Israel against Hezbollah projectiles from Lebanon.
Apart from the Iron Dome air defence system, “several dozen” Israeli military personnel have been sent to the UAE. “It’s not a small number of boots on the ground,” the source told The Financial Times.
Iran had launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones at the UAE. Along with the weapons systems, Israel had also shared intelligence with the Gulf state, informing it about short-range missile launch preparations in Iran.
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The majority of incoming projectiles were successfully shot down after the UAE activated several layers of air-defence systems against the Iranian assault, among them Israeli-manufactured equipment.
To match the demanding pace of the conflict, the Israeli military rushed weapons that were either still in development or not yet fully synced with Israeli radar networks, “off the bench and gave it to the Emiratis”, as one source familiar with the matter described it.
“We let them into our underwear,” added a third individual who had been briefed on the situation.
UAE-Israel Relations
Relations between Israel and four Arab nations, the UAE among them, were formally established through the Abraham Accords. Since then, Israel and the UAE have built increasingly strong economic and defence ties, with Israel having previously supplied the Gulf state with its Barak and Spyder air-defence systems.
Read |Â Amid Iran’s Attacks, UAE Called For Help. Israel Responded With Iron Dome
However, the war that erupted following the joint US-Israeli strike on Iran in February marked the first serious and sustained trial of the Israel-UAE partnership. The scale of Iran’s retaliation pushed Israel to transfer some of its most advanced platforms to its Gulf ally.
A western official noted that the UAE became one of Iran’s primary targets in part due to its “enthusiastic” embrace of the Abraham Accords.
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