Emirati officials were shocked to receive a bill from their US counterparts for military assistance the United Arab Emirates (UAE) received in the aftermath of a Houthi attack on Abu-Dhabi in early 2022, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing officials from the two countries
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2023) Emirati officials were shocked to receive a bill from their US counterparts for military assistance the United Arab Emirates (UAE) received in the aftermath of a Houthi attack on Abu-Dhabi in early 2022, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing officials from the two countries.
On January 17, 2022, unmanned aircraft and missiles attacked several targets in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, including the construction site of a new airport and fuel tankers near depots of oil company ADNOC. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, threatening new strikes if the UAE continued its military operations in the country.
The UAE was disappointed by what they saw as a weak and slow US response to the attacks, for which US Secretary Antony Blinken apologized in April of 2022.
According to the report, the weak US response was perceived by then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed as proof that Washington had abandoned the UAE in its time of need.
Following the attack, the Emirati military leadership decided to have F-16s and Mirage 2000s aircraft airborne all the time to detect and intercept drones. Accomplishing that task required the assistance of US Air Force KC-135 strategic refueling tankers, deployed at that time to the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi. The United States agreed to help and ended up refueling Emirati fighter jets several times, according to the report.
Soon after the second attack on January 24, 2022, the military attache at the US Embassy arrived for a meeting with senior UAE military officials. The US officer handed his Emirati counterparts a bill for refueling their jets, the report said.
Later on, White House and Pentagon officials said that the request was a mistake and added that they regretted it, the report added.
