Israel supplied the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an Iron Dome air defence system, along with troops to operate it, during the war on Iran, Axios reported on Sunday, citing several officials.
According to the US news outlet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to send an Iron Dome battery, complete with interceptors and several dozen soldiers trained to operate it, early in the conflict.
The move, which followed a call between Netanyahu and Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed, marks the first time Israel has sent an Iron Dome battery to another country, Israeli officials told the site.
A senior Israeli official said the Gulf ally is also the first country, aside from the US and Israel, where the system has been used.
US bases in the UAE and other targets were hit with hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones during the 40-day war. An Israeli official said the system intercepted dozens of the Iranian missiles.
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Israeli and Emirati officials told Axios the two countries have been working closely together, both militarily and politically, since the war began on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched an aerial assault on Iran that killed its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, among other top officials.
The Israeli air force also carried out a number of strikes targeting short-range missiles in southern Iran before they could be used to hit the UAE and other Gulf states.
When the US and Israel bombed the South Pars gas field on 18 March, a key part of Iran’s infrastructure, Tehran responded by targeting energy facilities across the Gulf.
Missiles and drones have also struck hotels, airports, data centres, ports and US embassies across the region as the war escalated.
The UAE was among the most heavily targeted, with authorities saying Iran launched around 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the country.
While most attacks were intercepted, debris still caused damage in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, including at the Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Airport and the Fujairah oil industrial zone.
The war has also dented Dubai’s appeal as a luxury tourism hotspot and slowed oil exports to a trickle.
On 8 April, the US agreed a temporary ceasefire with Iran, halting hostilities and restarting negotiations, which have yet to yield any major breakthroughs.