Dubai. February 13. INTERFAX - A group of US Air Force F-22 fighter jets arrived in the UAE yesterday after Yemeni rebels carried out a series of attacks in January that threatened the UAE and US military, Al-Arabiya TV channel reported.
According to the statement of the US Air Force, the transfer of these fighters is part of Washington's diverse support for the UAE. It is noted that the order to send the fighters was given by Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin, who coordinated this step together with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The planes arrived in the UAE from Langley Air Base in the US state of Virginia.
Al-Arabiya recalls that in January, Yemeni Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, carried out a series of failed attacks against targets in the UAE. As a result, the UAE and the United States used air defense systems to intercept rebel missiles and drones, and the American military stationed in the UAE had to take refuge in shelters.
The armed conflict in Yemen has been going on since March 2014. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia supports the troops of Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi in their confrontation with the Houthi rebels who control part of the country. In the West, they say that Iran supports the rebels.
