The United States announced on Wednesday, 2 February, that it will send a guided missile destroyer and high tech fifth-generation fighter jets to help the United Arab Emirates defend itself in light of the series of missile attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, news agency AFP reported.
The decision comes after a phone call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
A statement by the US Embassy in the UAE said that the guided missile destroyer USS Cole will join hands with the UAE Navy.
The Houthis rebels have carried out three missile attacks on the UAE in the month of January.
In the first attack, three people – two Indian nationals and a Pakistani national – died in Abu Dhabi. All three were oil workers.
The second missile attack targeted Al Dhafra, an air base where American forces have been stationed.
Patriot interceptors were launched to shoot down the missiles.
Finally, on 31 January, the UAE government announced that it had shot down yet another ballistic missile fired by the Houthis.
No casualties were reported in the second and third attacks.
The Saudi-led coalition had initiated an airstrike on a Houthi rebel prison in Yemen in January, killing dozens.
The Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, are at war with the exiled Yemeni government led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other gulf countries.
A more detailed understanding of the war can be found here.
(With inputs from AFP.)
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