Israel did not just deploy its famed Iron Dome system to help the United Arab Emirates during Iran’s missile and drone attacks — it also sent an advanced laser weapon, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The move marks one of the boldest examples yet of growing military cooperation between Israel and the UAE under the Abraham Accords.
Israel’s ‘Iron Beam’ used to defend UAE
According to the report, Israel supplied a version of its cutting-edge Iron Beam laser defence system, designed to destroy short-range rockets and drones by vaporising them mid-air.
Israel earlier used the system against Hezbollah projectiles launched from Lebanon.
Israel also reportedly sent the Spectro surveillance system, capable of detecting incoming drones such as Iran’s Shahed drones from distances of up to 20 kilometres.
‘Value of being Israel’s friend’
A regional official quoted by the publication described the deployment as proof of “the value of being Israel’s friend”.
The report said many of the systems rushed to the UAE were prototypes or not yet fully integrated into Israel’s own military network.
One source claimed Israel took weapons “off the bench and gave it to the Emiratis” to match the pace of war.
Iranian barrage targeted UAE
Iran had reportedly launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones at the UAE during the conflict.
Alongside weapons systems, Israel also shared intelligence with the Gulf state, warning it about missile launch preparations inside Iran.
The majority of incoming projectiles were intercepted after the UAE activated multiple layers of air defence, including Israeli-made systems.
Israeli troops also sent
The report added that “several dozen” Israeli military personnel were deployed to the UAE during the crisis.
“It’s not a small number of boots on the ground,” a source said.
Abraham Accords put to test
Israel and the UAE established formal ties in 2020 through the Abraham Accords brokered by US President Donald Trump.
Since then, the two countries have built stronger economic and defence relations, with Israel previously supplying Barak and Spyder air-defence systems.
But the recent war following the joint US-Israeli strike on Iran marked the first major battlefield test of the partnership.
A Western official reportedly said the UAE became one of Iran’s main targets partly because of its enthusiastic embrace of the Abraham Accords.