Tel aviv: US Ambassador to Tel Aviv Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the Iran war.
According to Anadolu Agency, Mike Huckabee made the remarks on stage at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel. During his speech, Huckabee expressed his gratitude towards the UAE, highlighting its role as the first member of the Abraham Accords. He emphasized the practical benefits seen from these accords, citing Israel’s deployment of Iron Dome batteries and personnel to the UAE as a significant example.
The Abraham Accords are a series of normalization agreements between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries, initiated during US President Donald Trump’s first term. To date, four nations have joined these peace agreements: Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the UAE. Huckabee pointed out that this military cooperation exemplifies the “extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel based on the Abraham Accords.”
The US envoy also expressed optimism regarding the expansion of the accords. “I’m very optimistic that we’re going to see other nations join the Abraham Accords,” he stated, while acknowledging the challenging current geopolitical climate.
Huckabee further argued that the recent confrontation involving Iran and Israel has prompted Gulf countries to reassess regional threats. He suggested that these nations are now faced with a choice between aligning with Israel or Iran, noting that Israel’s assistance during the conflict starkly contrasted with Iran’s aggression. “The lesson is that Israel is not your natural enemy,” he remarked.
There was no immediate response from Abu Dhabi regarding Huckabee’s claims. The conflict saw the US and Israel launching strikes against Iran on February 28, which led to retaliatory actions from Tehran against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict resulted in over 3,300 deaths in Iran and the displacement of tens of thousands, while at least 13 US servicemen were killed and dozens more wounded.
A ceasefire, brokered through Pakistani mediation, took effect on April 8, though talks in Islamabad did not yield a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by Trump without a defined deadline.