Tel Aviv | Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates to defend the country during the Iran war, the US ambassador to the country said Tuesday.

Mike Huckabee made the comment on stage at an event in Tel Aviv, Israel.

"I'd like to say a word of appreciation for United Arab Emirates, the first Abraham accord member," Huckabee said at the Tel Aviv Conference. "Just look at the benefits. Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them." The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020.

The UAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the acknowledgment by Huckabee, though it underlined the growing defence relationship between the countries long suspicious of Iran.