{"id":2602371,"date":"2026-05-13T18:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uae-boosts-ties-with-israel-to-shore-up-anti-drone-defenses\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:35:17","slug":"uae-boosts-ties-with-israel-to-shore-up-anti-drone-defenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uae-boosts-ties-with-israel-to-shore-up-anti-drone-defenses\/","title":{"rendered":"UAE boosts ties with Israel to shore up anti-drone defenses"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fuae-boosts-ties-with-israel-to-shore-up-anti-drone-defenses%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602371&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The UAE is ramping up its drone defense network after Iran\u2019s missile and drone attacks exposed major gaps in its air defenses. During a lull in fighting,it has accelerated efforts to close that weakness by boosting physical defenses and strengthening ties with counterdrone experts,particularly Israel,as the damage from cheap Shahed drones served as a \u201cwake-up call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The article also describes a deepening Israel-UAE security relationship that gained momentum during the conflict. It cites claims that Netanyahu made a secret trip to the UAE during the combat period and that Israeli security leaders traveled there as well, though the UAE denies any secret or undeclared visits, saying relations are openly based on the Abraham Accords. The cooperation is portrayed as part of a broader emerging alliance driven by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-new-trade-pact-in-the-indo-pacific-has-officially-launched\/\" title=\"A New Trade Pact in the Indo-Pacific Has Officially Launched\">shared security interests<\/a> and the UAE\u2019s growing rivalry with saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n<p>A key theme is that Israel\u2019s Iron Dome capability helps address the UAE\u2019s vulnerability to drones. The UAE\u2019s existing air defenses were built mainly for cruise and ballistic missiles, leaving it poorly prepared for the volume of drone attacks, which forced costly and less effective responses. Iron Dome is described as a more economical way to intercept short-range missiles and drones, with its operational role expanding to counter drones over time. Looking ahead, the UAE\u2019s partnership with Israel is expected to influence further regional defense cooperation, possibly involving other Gulf states.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>After bearing the brunt of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran\u2019s<\/a> missile and drone salvos, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-arab-emirates\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"215\">United Arab Emirates<\/a> is sparing no expense in building up its drone defense network ahead of a feared next round of fighting.<\/p>\n<p>The damage inflicted on the UAE by Iran\u2019s cheap Shahed drones has served as a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4522999\/uae-hawkish-turn-15-years-in-making\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4522999\">wake-up call<\/a> for the small Arab nation, exposing a gap in its air defense network. During the lull in fighting, it has expedited efforts to plug this gap, building up physical barriers and strengthening ties with experts in counterdrone technology, primarily Israel.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4567009\/coast-guard-agrees-contract-arctic-cutters\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Coast Guard agrees to contract for new class of arctic cutters<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4566468\/us-insufficiently-prepared-north-korea-tactical-nuke\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US is insufficiently prepared for North Korea to use a tactical nuke against southern neighbors<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4566407\/trump-defined-iran-war-three-sentences-byron-york\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump has boiled Iran war down to \u2018three sentences\u2019: Byron York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The war has led to a breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE, with the true extent of their ties only coming out this week.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-burgeoning-alliance\">A burgeoning alliance<\/h2>\n<p>On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s office revealed that he had taken a secret trip to the UAE in the middle of combat operations against Iran. During the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IsraeliPM\/status\/2054613742424355266?s=20\">visit<\/a>, Netanyahu personally met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and the meeting resulted in a \u201chistoric breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Israeli media reported that Netanyahu\u2019s flight occurred while Israeli airspace was completely closed, yet no leaks of the trip emerged. The breakthrough hinted at in Netanyahu\u2019s visit was the shipment of an Iron Dome battery, which had been reported earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Former British diplomat Edmund Fitton-Brown, who has extensive experience in the UAE and broader region, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Netanyahu\u2019s visit was \u201cimportant,\u201d but \u201cnot surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a perfectly logical thing to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it definitely reflects the fact that you\u2019ve got an emerging, not just understanding, but an emerging alliance between the UAE and Israel. And that is significant because we can\u2019t really say that there\u2019s ever been an alliance between an Arab country and Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The UAE, alongside Bahrain, became the first Gulf State to officially recognize Israel in 2020 as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s Abraham Accords. Relations continued to improve but hit a bump from Arab backlash over the Israel-Hamas war.<\/p>\n<p>The UAE was the primary target of Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes during Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, sustaining more missile and drone attacks than Israel, despite not being an official belligerent. The attacks shattered any Emirati sympathies with Iranian rapprochement and helped push a full embrace of Israel.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Netanyahu\u2019s visit, the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> reported on Wednesday that Mossad chief David Barnea traveled to the UAE twice during the war, in March and April. KAN News reported that Shin Bet chief David Zini also visited the UAE during the war and that the two countries closely coordinated on security and defense matters.<\/p>\n<p>The new \u201calliance\u201d between the UAE and Israel was also driven by the former\u2019s growing rivalry with Saudi Arabia, Fitton-Brown said, and will lead the UAE to become more independent.<\/p>\n<p>The UAE denied the claims that Netanyahu and other Israeli officials visited the country during the war.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe United Arab Emirates denies what is being circulated regarding a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the country, or the reception of any Israeli military delegation on its territory,\u201d the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe state affirms that its relations with Israel are declared relations, established within the framework of the known and announced Abraham Accords, and are not based on secrecy or hidden arrangements,\u201d the statement reads, adding that \u201cany claims about undeclared visits or arrangements have no basis in truth, unless issued by the competent official authorities in the United Arab Emirates.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-plugging-a-key-gap\">Plugging a key gap<\/h2>\n<p>Israel\u2019s provision of the Iron Dome gives the UAE a major boon in its drone defenses, with its primary air defenses \u2014 acquired from the United States, Russia, South Korea, and Israel \u2014 focused on countering medium and long-range cruise and ballistic missiles. The defense network was ill-prepared for the hundreds of drones launched at the country, which both overwhelmed its few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-ukraine-used-old-soviet-drones-to-strike-bombers-deep-inside-russia\/\" title=\"How Ukraine Used Old Soviet ... To Strike Bombers Deep Inside Russia\">short-range defenses<\/a> and forced it to counter in an uneconomic way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe UAE had heavily invested in air defenses prior to the conflict, but even those were not sufficient to fully mitigate Iranian attacks during the conflict, as the UAE found out the hard way,\u201d Ryan Brobst, deputy director of FDD\u2019s Center on Military and Political Power, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cTherefore they requested, and Israel ended up deploying an Iron Dome system along with IDF soldiers to the country during the conflict to operate it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Iron Dome is designed to be an economical way to intercept short-range missiles and drones, a capability the UAE largely lacks. Iran\u2019s drone barrages heavily depleted its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >expensive interceptor missile stockpiles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not initially designed with drones in mind, but its capabilities did later expand to be able to handle drones,\u201d Brobst said.<\/p>\n<p>Israel is set to provide its anti-drone expertise in other areas, too, as its war with Hezbollah hones its abilities.<\/p>\n<p>Fitton-Brown argued that the anti-drone advantage the partnership with Israel will provide may lead to further breakthroughs in Israel\u2019s attempts to engage with the region. He said it\u2019s \u201cnot beyond the realms of possibility\u201d that Bahrain and Kuwait could \u201cbe part of a group that would buy into stronger defensive relations with the Israelis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4522999\/uae-hawkish-turn-15-years-in-making\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4522999\">THE UAE\u2019S HAWKISH TURN WAS 15 YEARS IN THE MAKING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think protection from drones and air defense partnerships are going to be really important to [the Gulf countries] in the future, because they now know that for as long as the Islamic Republic exists \u2026 they know that they could be attacked again, with limited warning and not a great deal of restraint,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the Emirati Embassy for further information and comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Iran\u2019s drone attacks, the UAE speeds up defenses against future strikes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2602372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/israel-uae-e1778710420288.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[79630,4671,14872,79631],"class_list":["post-2602371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-anti-drone-defense","tag-israel","tag-uae","tag-uae-israel-relations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/israel-uae-e1778710420288.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602371"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602375,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602371\/revisions\/2602375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}