UAE calls for regional anti-drones shield
The United Arab Emirates on Sunday urged the armies of allied countries to work together to build a shield against the threat of drones after it was attacked by Houthi rebels in Yemen with rockets and booby-trapped drones.
A conference on Unmanned Systems opened in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with the presence of representatives from the armies of Arab and Western countries, including the United States, France and Britain, to discuss the development of these systems and how to confront their dangers.
“Today, more than ever, we understand the importance of protecting our nation by ensuring that these technologies are tools we can use, but they cannot be used against us”, Omar Sultan Al Olama, minister of state for artificial intelligence, told military leaders and experts.
These systems are much cheaper and more accessible than ever before. This access allows systems to fall into the hands of people we don’t want to get into the hands of, and that is terrorist groups.
“This challenge requires us to come together and work together to ensure that we can build a shield against the threat of using these systems”, the official said.
“We must unite to prevent the use of drones to threaten the security of civilians and destroy economic institutions”, UAE Minister of State for Defense Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Bawardi said at the Abu Dhabi conference.
The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen in support of the government against Iran-allied Houthi rebels since 2015. It withdrew its troops from the impoverished country, which has been embroiled in armed conflict since 2014, in 2019, but supports and trains Yemeni forces affiliated with the legitimate government.
The UAE was hit last month by three attacks from Yemeni rebels’ ballistic missiles and drones after they lost areas in Yemen to UAE-trained pro-government forces. UAE defenses succeeded in taking down most of them after the first attack killed three people in Abu Dhabi.
The little-known al-Waad al-Haq Brigades also claimed responsibility for an attempt to target the UAE with drones in early February.
The UAE has used Patriot batteries to intercept missiles and planes, as well as the THAAD system, which is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at high altitudes.
Following the attacks, the United States decided to send a destroyer and fighter jets to the UAE to help its ally counter the attacks. France has also announced increased defense cooperation with the Gulf state.
“We must unite to prevent the use of drones to threaten the security of civilians and destroy economic institutions”, UAE Minister of State for Defense Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Bawardi said at the Abu Dhabi conference.
The conference comes at a time of heightened threat from drones in the region. Saudi Arabia has been hit by hundreds of attacks by Yemeni rebels, while Iran has been accused of being behind an attack by a marching plane against an Israeli ship last year.
On Friday, the Israeli military said its air defenses fired at a passing aircraft coming from Lebanon that entered Israel’s airspace, the second such incident in two days.
