US F-22 fighter jets arrive in UAE after missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels
India Today
US F-22 fighter jets arrived in the UAE on Saturday after recent missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the country.
US F-22 fighter jets arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, part of an American defence response to recent missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the country.
The Raptors landed at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, which hosts some 2,000 US troops. American soldiers there launched Patriot interceptor missiles in response to the Houthi attacks last month, the first time US troops have fired the system in combat since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
American officials declined to say how many F-22s were deployed or the number of airmen supporting the aircraft, citing operational security. However, they identified the unit involved as the 1st Fighter Wing, located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia.
READ: 70 killed as Houthi rebels launch air strike on Yemen prison
“The Raptors' presence will bolster already strong partner nation defenses and puts destabilizing forces on notice that the US and our partners are committed to enabling peace and stability in the region," Lt. Gen. Greg Guillot, the commander of the US Air Force's Mideast command, said in a statement.
The deployment comes after the Iranian-backed Houthis launched three attacks targeting Abu Dhabi last month, including one targeting a fuel depot that killed three people and wounded six. The attacks coincided with visits by the presidents of South Korea and Israel to the country.
A shadowy Iraqi group claimed to launch a drone attack targeting the Emirates in early February, though authorities say they intercepted them.
