United Arab Emirates Announce On Thursday, May 8, Egyptian fighter jets were deployed on its soil for the first time, as the UAE Ministry of Defense unveiled a contingent of Rafale F3R fighters from the Egyptian Air Force to assist the UAE in defensive operations against Iranian drones and missiles.
The revelation, an important military signal, came during an unannounced visit by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Abu Dhabi, and was notable given that Cairo and Abu Dhabi have often found themselves on opposite sides of regional disputes, even though the UAE remains the largest foreign investor in Egypt.
Al-Sisi and President Mohamed bin Zayed jointly inspected the Egyptian fighter battalion and reviewed its operational readiness and preparedness. interview Personally with some of the pilots who were credited with helping keep the UAE safe during the regional conflict. Neither government revealed the type of plane or its location, although the Egyptian Air Force relies on a mixed fleet of American, French, and Russian-made fighters, including F-16, Rafale, and MiG-29 aircraft.
The Egyptian President announced that Cairo stood in “full solidarity” with the Emirates, rejected what he called Iranian attacks on Emirati sovereignty, and said frankly: “What affects the Emirates affects Egypt.” His visit came days after new attacks that Abu Dhabi attributed to Iran, accusations that Tehran denied.
The President traveled from Abu Dhabi to Muscat to meet with Sultan Haitham of Oman and discuss the prospects for reaching a nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran. The military and diplomatic pauses reflect Cairo’s efforts to reassert itself as a regional power after the Gulf states, which have provided nearly US$120 billion (6.3 trillion Egyptian pounds) in aid to Egypt over the past decade, publicly criticized Cairo’s silence during previous Iranian strikes on Gulf targets.