US F-22 jets arrive to bolster UAE's airspace against attacks
The F-22 Raptor jets have arrived at the UAE base as part of a multifaceted demonstration of US support after a series of Yemen-based attacks have threatened US and Emirati armed forces stationed at the host installation, US said in a statement.
US F-22 fighter jets have arrived in the United Arab Emirates, part of an American defense response to recent missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the country.
US F-22 fighter jets arrived at an air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a spate of unprecedented attacks in Abu Dhabi by Houthi rebels in Yemen, the US Air force said.
In recent weeks, the Iran-aligned Houthis have waged a string of largely failed strikes on UAE targets that have triggered Emirati and US air defences and have even seen American troops based there briefly taking shelter.
The US Secretary of Defense ordered the rapid deployment of the fifth-generation aircraft in coordination with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, said a statement by the United States Air Forces Central on Saturday.
READ MORE: Why tensions are escalating between Yemen’s Houthis and the UA
🚨 HOT: @usairforce F-22 Raptors arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base, in the UAE, today as part of a multifaceted demonstration of U.S. support after a series of attacks throughout January threatened U.S. and Emirati armed forces stationed at the host installation.@380AEW pic.twitter.com/nAAZYK2BjV
— US AFCENT (@USAFCENT) February 12, 2022
Houthi attacks
It will join a range of joint, coalition and allied and partner combat air power capabilities already based across the region.
The airmen and F-22s are deployed from the 1st Fighter Wing, located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the U.S. Air Force said.
Last week the US general overseeing Middle East operations told Reuters the US will help the UAE replenish interceptors it uses to knock down incoming missiles.
The recent Houthi attacks have thrown a spotlight on so-far unsuccessful UN-led efforts to broker an end to the war in Yemen, which since 2015 has pitted the Houthis against a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition that includes the UAE.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a humanitarian crisis.
READ MORE: Where is Yemen’s conflict(s) headed?
This satellite image shows the aftermath of an attack claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels on an Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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