Israel OKs Sale of Air Defense System to UAE as THAAD, Patriots Fail to Stop Houthi Drones: Report

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced in June that Tel Aviv had been working with Arab governments on the creation of a US-backed “Middle East Air Defense Alliance” to guard against Iran. Tehran responded by dubbing Israel the “main source” of instability in the region, and slammed Arab neighbors for cooperating with the country.

Israel has moved forward with the sale of an advanced piece air defense hardware to the United Arab Emirates, Reuters has reported, citing two sources said to be familiar with the matter.

The deal was said to have been signed sometime in the summer, with Tel Aviv selling Abu Dhabi the SPYDER ("Surface-to-air Python and Derby"), a short-to-medium range air defense system manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The system can be equipped with Python-5 and Derby air defense missiles, which have a range of 20 and 50 km, respectively, and an aircraft detection range of 70-110 km. The systems are designed to intercept and destroy enemy drones, cruise missiles, and aircraft, including projectiles flying at low altitudes.

Israel has previously exported SPYDERs to Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Reuters’ sources did not provide any information on the number of SPYDERs that were sent, and it is unclear whether the Emiratis have taken delivery of the weapons. However, a source indicated that Tel Aviv had also sold the Gulf sheikdom unidentified additional "technology capable of combating drone attacks."

The UAE suffered a series of missile and drone strikes in January and February, with the projectiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia in response to Abu Dhabi’s continued involvement in the Saudi-led coalition’s operations in the war-torn southern Arabian nation. The UAE’s US-purchased Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot missile defense systems had proven incapable of intercepting the drones and missiles launched by the Houthis, Reuters’ sources said.

The UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco established ties with Israel in 2020, striking peace agreements with the Jewish state brokered by the Trump White House. In January 2022, Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid a formal visit to Abu Dhabi, where he promised to shore up Israeli support for the UAE’s security needs. Now ex-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett followed suit with his own trip to the UAE in June.

Also in June, Defense Minister Gantz announced the creation of a regional air defense alliance with a group of Arab nations. “The program is already operative and has already enabled the successful interception of Iranian attempts to attack Israel and other countries,” Gantz said during his announcement. He did not elaborate on these purported “Iranian attempts” or name any specific countries partnering with Israel.

A week after Gantz’s announcement, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Tel Aviv was planning to ask the Biden administration for approval on the sale of Iron Beam laser-based air defense systems to Gulf States, including the UAE and possibly Saudi Arabia, a nation Israel has no formal relations with.

Also this summer, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon had organized a hush-hush meeting in Egypt in March to discuss ways for regional powers to improve air defense cooperation against Iran, with then-US Central Command chief Frank McKenzie and senior military commanders from Israel and Arab countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, said to have been in attendance.

Iran has repeatedly warned that it would launch massive retaliatory strikes against Israel in the event of Israeli aerial aggression against its peaceful nuclear program, but has also emphasized that its military operations in the Middle East are defensive in nature and aimed at combating Islamist extremism. Tehran has urged its regional neighbors to avoid setting up relations with the “Zionist regime,” and has accused those that have done so of “betraying” the Muslim world.