AMN/ WEB DESK
The United States said, it would send a guided-missile destroyer and fighter jets to assist the United Arab Emirates after a series of missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
In a phone call on Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Abu bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Pentagon would send the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole to partner with the UAE Navy before making a port call in Abu Dhabi.
The US embassy in UAE said in a statement that Austin also informed the Crown Prince of his decision to deploy fifth-generation fighter planes to assist the UAE against the current threat.
The statement concluded, the deployment was intended to be a clear signal that the United States stands with the UAE as a long-standing strategic partner.
The announcement comes after the UAE experienced the third missile attack in recent weeks on Monday, which the US deployed Patriot interceptors to thwart. The Pentagon later said UAE surface-to-air missiles struck down the incoming missile.
On Monday, the UAE said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthis, during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to the Gulf nation.
This was the third missile attack in two weeks against the UAE, the Middle East’s commercial and tourism hub.