Israel’s reported deployment of its Iron Dome missile defence battery in the UAE signals a “watershed moment” in Middle Eastern security alignments, analysts say, as the war in Iran highlights the critical role of such air defence systems.

Israel sent an Iron Dome air-defence system along with troops to the United Arab Emirates “early in the war with Iran”, Axios said in a report this week citing two Israeli officials and one from the US.

The Israeli officials, who were not named, told the US news website that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to send an Iron Dome battery with interceptors and several dozen IDF operators to the UAE, following a call with the Emirati president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nayhan. The UAE reportedly used the Iron Dome to intercept dozens of Iranian missiles.

It would mark the first time Israel’s Iron Dome had been used in a country other than Israel or the United States.

Its reported deployment in the UAE came as the emirate was targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks, with Tehran striking back against US allies in the region following the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

The UAE has improved its military ties with Israel since establishing diplomatic ties in 2020 under the Abraham Accords – a series of joint normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab nations brokered by the US.

As Tehran targeted Gulf nations hosting US military facilities in the midst of tit-for-tat strikes, air-defence systems became a crucial element of the conflict, driving increased demand for surface‑to‑air missiles to counter aerial threats.

According to the UAE defence ministry, Iran fired about 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the country. While most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, some broke through the air-defence network, hitting military and civilian targets.