US to Send Warship, Fighter Jets to UAE after Houthi Attacks

The US will deploy a guided missile destroyer and jets to help defend the UAE after the recent Houthi attacks, announced Washington. (Reuters file photo)
The US will deploy a guided missile destroyer and jets to help defend the UAE after the recent Houthi attacks, announced Washington. (Reuters file photo)
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US to Send Warship, Fighter Jets to UAE after Houthi Attacks

The US will deploy a guided missile destroyer and jets to help defend the UAE after the recent Houthi attacks, announced Washington. (Reuters file photo)
The US will deploy a guided missile destroyer and jets to help defend the UAE after the recent Houthi attacks, announced Washington. (Reuters file photo)

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.



Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May in what will be the first foreign trip of his second term, with stops also planned in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

"It could be next month, maybe a little later," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Four sources briefed on the matter said mid-May was being looked at as the timing for the trip. Trump made Saudi Arabia and Israel the initial stops on his inaugural foreign trip during his first term in 2017.

Topics likely to be discussed include Russia's three-year-old war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza, one source said.

Saudi Arabia has played a prominent role in US foreign policy, including hosting US ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine.

"An opportunity for international travel for the president is something that is being looked at. We don’t yet have a specific plan, and we will provide that information when it is official," a White House official said ahead of Trump's remarks.