CENTCOM will be replenishing UAE's Patriot and THAAD systems
To intercept Yemeni retaliation against the backdrop of years of Saudi-UAE aggression, the US will be helping Abu Dhabi out.
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The head of war, General Kenneth Franklin McKenzie.
CENTCOM head General Kenneth McKenzie announced that Washington will be helping Abu Dhabi modernize its missile defenses to shoot down missiles, especially after facing retaliation from Yemeni forces.
"We will help with replenishment of interceptors. And we'll do everything we can to assist UAE in defending themselves," General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said in an interview with Reuters after visiting the UAE this week.
Although McKenzie did not mention what the Emirates had requested, an anonymous source divulged that Abu Dhabi requested a replenishing of its missile defense interceptors, including for its THAAD and Patriot system.
On Tuesday, McKenzie announced that the US will be deploying F-22 fighter jets to the UAE, in addition to combat aircraft to pursue further aggression against the Yemeni armed forces.
Furthermore, on February 2, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan about Washington's intention to increase its military support to the UAE, the Wall Street Journal said, as security concerns mount in light of Yemeni retaliation against the Saudi-led coalition's massacres in Yemen.
The USS Cole, a guided-missile destroyer, was deployed to UAE waters to accompany the Emirati army.
Yemeni armed forces execute Operation Yemen Hurricane III
During the past weeks, the Yemeni armed forces had targeted the Emirati depths with drones and winged ballistic missiles, with the attack reaching the airports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and sensitive sites in the Emirates.
Read more: Operation Yemen Hurricane II reflects growing deterrence: official
On January 31, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that Yemen's armed forces executed Operation Yemen Hurricane III, which targeted the UAE after sustaining years of aggression from the coalition.
Saree said that a number of important targets were struck in Abu Dhabi using Zulfiqar ballistic missile, and other key targets were also struck in Abu Dhabi using Samad-3 drones.
He stressed that the "Emirati enemy statelet" will remain unsafe so long as the tools of the Israeli enemy within it "continue their aggression against us". He also warned UAE citizens, residents and companies to stay away from vital facilities, as they are liable to be targeted.
Saree also emphasized that the Yemeni armed forces will not stand idly by as the Yemeni people suffer under the blockade and aggression, adding that they will continue their legitimate defense of Yemen until the end of the aggression and the lifting of the blockade.
