The United States will be sending fifth generation fighter jets and a guided missile destroyer to support the UAE following the rocket attacks perpetrated by the Houthis in Yemen.
The details of this deployment were disclosed by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan — the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy commander-in-Chief of the UAE’s Forces — in a phone call.
Washington will be sending the USS Cole, armed with guided missiles, to escort the UAE’s Navy.
Austin also informed the crown prince of his decision to “deploy fifth generation fighter jets to help the UAE counter the current threat.”
“This is a clear indication that the US stands with the UAE as a long-term strategic partner,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The two sides also discussed “the recent Houthi attacks on the UAE, which caused civilian casualties and also threatened US and UAE armed forces stationed at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi,” the statement said.
The secretary reiterated his “strong condemnation of these attacks and his commitment to the US-UAE strategic partnership,” and reviewed a range of “actions the Department of Defence is taking to support the Emirates.”
“The United States will continue to provide early warning information and cooperate with the UAE on air defence,” he added.
On Monday, the UAE intercepted a ballistic missile during a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog; the third such attack in two weeks claimed by the Houthis.
The Houthi attack did not affect air traffic or the UAE’s airports, according to the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority.
A week earlier, attacks claimed by the Houthi militia targeted civilian targets, including Abu Dhabi International Airport, causing the explosion of three oil tankers, the death of three civilians, and the injury of six others, provoking international condemnation of the Houthis.
