Anticipating The Yemeni Houthi Attack, The US Deploys A Squadron Of F-22 Raptor Fighter Jets To The United Arab Emirates

Illustration of the United States F-22 Raptor fighter jet. (Wikimedia Commons/US Air Force/SMSGT Thomas Meneguin

JAKARTA - The United States will deploy a squadron of Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the next week, moving the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole to "monitor the waters" around the Gulf monarchy, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday.

"We think of him as just one friend helping another in times of crisis," Marine General Kenneth Frank McKenzie told the UAE's state-run WAM News Agency, citing Sputnik News February 9.

General McKenzie said the two steps were taken to strengthen the air defense capabilities of the UAE, which has faced drone and missile attacks from Yemen-based Houthi rebels several times in the past month.

He also said the US was working with regional and global partners to develop "effective solutions" to prevent drone strikes even before they were launched.

"We want to work against drones in what we call a 'Left of Launch' - before they can be launched. Such a system would be able to detect drone launches, see them and interfere with their flight," he explained.

"And if you can't do that, you can definitely shoot them down when they hit their intended target."

General McKenzie also praised the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system for intercepting missiles and drones launched at the UAE by the Houthis.

"We are pleased to see that THAAD was successfully used by the UAE in the first two combat jobs of the system," he said, adding Washington would work with the UAE Government to further enhance its air defenses.

Earlier, the UAE Ministry of Defense (MOD) last month announced it had successfully intercepted and destroyed a missile launched by the Houthis. On February 2, the defense ministry said it had intercepted three "hostile" drones that entered the country's airspace.

To note, the UAE houses nearly 2.000 American troops at the Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi. American forces last month managed to intercept two Houthi airstrikes on two separate occasions, using Patriot missiles.