Israel quietly deployed a version of its Iron Beam laser-based air defence system to the United Arab Emirates during the recent conflict with Iran, aiming to shield the Gulf nation from a barrage of incoming missiles and drones from the Islamic nation, the Financial Times reported.
Alongside the laser system, Israel also sent a surveillance platform known as Spectro, capable of detecting Iranian drones from as far as 20 kilometres. A regional official told the newspaper the move underscored “the value of being Israel’s friend”.
Furthermore, the report said Israel did not stop at technology transfers. It also deployed the Iron Dome air defence system to the UAE, along with troops to operate it. “It’s not a small number of boots on the ground,” a source familiar with the matter was quoted as saying by Financial Times.
According to the report, “several dozen” Israeli military personnel were stationed in the UAE as part of this effort. The deployment marked a significant deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.
The Iron Beam system itself remains a relatively new capability. Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it is a ground-based, high-energy laser designed to neutralise short-range rockets and drones by firing a concentrated beam that disables targets within roughly 4-5 seconds. The system had previously been used by Israel against projectiles fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
Notably, many of the offensive and defensive systems sent to the UAE were still in the prototype stage and had not yet been fully integrated into Israel’s own military networks. To keep pace with the intensity of the Middle East conflict, Israeli forces reportedly pulled systems “off the bench” and provided them to the Emiratis, even if they were still under development or not fully synced with radar systems.
Iran, according to the report, had launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and around 2,000 drones targeting the UAE after the United States and Israel launched an offensive against the Islamic nation on February 28. In response, the Gulf nation activated multiple layers of air defence, including Israeli-supplied systems, successfully intercepting the majority of incoming threats.
Israel reportedly also shared intelligence with the UAE, including alerts about preparations for short-range missile launches inside Iran.
The growing military coordination traces back to the 2020 Abraham Accords, brokered by US President Donald Trump, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the UAE. Since then, ties between Israel and the UAE have expanded steadily across economic and defence sectors, with Israel previously supplying systems such as Barak and Spyder.
A Western official cited in the report said the UAE’s “enthusiastic embrace” of the Abraham Accords made it one of Iran’s primary targets during the escalation.
