The United States will deploy a guided missile destroyer and state-of-the-art fighter jets to help defend the United Arab Emirates after a series of missile attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, a US statement said Wednesday.
The deployment, to “assist the UAE against the current threat,” follows a phone call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the US embassy in the UAE said.
The UAE, part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Houthis to restore legitimacy in Yemen, suffered its third missile attack in consecutive weeks on Monday.
The guided missile destroyer USS Cole will partner with the UAE Navy and make a port call in Abu Dhabi, the statement said, while the US will also deploy fifth-generation fighter planes.
Other actions include “continuing to provide early warning intelligence,” it added.
Three foreign workers were killed in a drone-and-missile assault targeting Abu Dhabi’s oil facilities and airport on January 17.
On January 24, US forces stationed at Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra air base fire Patriot interceptors and scrambled to bunkers as two ballistic missiles were shot down over the city.
And on Monday, a third missile attack was thwarted during the visit to the UAE of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The US, a supporter of the coalition, intends the deployment to be “a clear signal that the United States stands with the UAE as a long-standing strategic partner,” the statement said.
