Israel pitched advanced drones to UAE, leaked emails reveal: Report
Israel pitched advanced drones to UAE, leaked emails reveal: Report The UAE secretly pushed for the sale of Israeli drones by Elbit Systems following an attack on Abu Dhabi by Yemen’s Houthis in 2022, according to leaked emails reported by Haaretz and Drop Site News. Emails dating from 2021 through early 2023 reveal that Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defence contractor, had already begun…
Leaked emails reveal that the UAE secretly approached Israel in 2022 to purchase advanced drones from Elbit Systems after a Houthi missile and drone attack on Abu Dhabi in January of the same year. The emails, obtained by Handala, an online hacking group with suspected ties to Iran, were verified by Haaretz and Drop Site News. The initial sale was valued at $154 million, with additional upgrades bringing the total cost up to $225 million.
The drones discussed, the Hermes 900, are advanced Israeli reconnaissance and surveillance drones capable of carrying up to 990 pounds and eight surface-to-air missiles. The UAE and Israel established a fund for joint defence acquisition in March 2022, shortly after the UAE normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
The emails also mention other Israeli armaments, including the SkyEye wide-area surveillance sensors and the Hermes 650 drone.
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