US F-22 fighter jets arrived in the UAE on Saturday as part of a request from Abu Dhabi for Washington to counter Ansar al-Islam's missile strikes.
According to the Turkish Anatolia news agency, the fighters landed at Al-Zafra air base in the UAE; A base that hosts about a thousand American troops.
US forces stationed at the air base last January used Patriot missiles to repel Ansarullah attacks; This is the first time since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that US forces have used the system.
According to the Associated Press, US officials, claiming to protect the security of operations, have refused to mention the exact number of fighters or pilots who pilot these fighters. "But the US Air Force later released a picture of six F-22 fighter jets landing at Al-Zafra base in the UAE."
Gen. Greg Guillot, commander of the US Air Force Headquarters in Southwest Asia (Middle East), said in a statement that the presence of these fighters would strengthen the air defense of our partner (UAE) government and warn of the destabilizing forces that Washington and its allies Stabilize the adhere area.
The US military support for the UAE comes as Yemeni Ansar al-Islami forces targeted Abu Dhabi in three missile strikes last month. Ansar al-Islam forces have warned the Saudi coalition that it will launch more missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates if the war in Yemen does not end and aggression continues.