France strengthens UAE defenses against Houthi attacks

France said in a statement on Friday that it had agreed to participate in the strengthening of the UAE defense system following attacks by the Yemeni Houthi movement.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said in a series of tweets: “The UAE was seriously attacked on its territory in January and to show our solidarity with this friendly country, France decided to provide military support, especially to protect its airspace from any intrusion”.

“The French Mission in Abu Dhabi’s Rafale fighter jets are participating, alongside the UAE armed forces, in surveillance, detection and interception missions if necessary”, she said.
Last December, the UAE made a deal to buy 80 Rafale fighter planes and an agreement to buy 12 Caracal helicopters.

On Wednesday, the United States also announced that it had decided to send military aid to the UAE to provide additional support against Houthi attacks.

Washington will send the USS Cole to Abu Dhabi to cooperate with the UAE Navy before docking at a port in Abu Dhabi, in addition to fifth generation fighter jets.

The US Secretary of Defense, Austin, informed Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan that the United States would continue to provide early warning information and cooperate with the United Arab Emirates on air defense.

On Monday, the UAE intercepted a missile during the Israeli president’s visit, the third such attack in two weeks claimed by the Iran-allied Houthi group, which is fighting a Saudi-led, UAE-led Arab coalition.

A week earlier, the U.S. military said it had fired several Patriot missiles to intercept two missiles the Houthis said they had fired at the Emirati air base at al-Dhafra.
The UAE ambassador to the UN said last week that his country may upgrade its defense capabilities and hold talks with the US.

Earlier, UAE Ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said that the UAE has developed its defense and security capabilities in cooperation with the US to counter rebel rockets in Yemen.

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen in support of the Yemeni government against the Houthis. It withdrew its troops from the impoverished country, which has been mired in armed conflict since 2014, in 2019 but remains an influential player.

The Houthis say the attacks against the UAE are retaliation for the UAE’s support for the Giants Brigades, forces fighting the group in two oil and gas producing provinces, following the UAE’s decision to scale back its forces.