Speaking at the Tel Aviv Conference in Tel Aviv, Huckabee said Israel had assisted the UAE’s air defenses amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

“Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them,” Huckabee said, praising the UAE as the first Gulf state to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
The UAE did not immediately comment on Huckabee’s remarks.

The disclosure underscores increasingly open military coordination between Israel and Gulf Arab states that share concerns over Iran’s regional influence and missile capabilities.

Regional tensions remain elevated despite the current ceasefire, with concerns continuing over security in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil shipping route long viewed as vulnerable to disruption during confrontations involving Tehran.

Huckabee also expressed optimism that additional Middle Eastern countries could join the Abraham Accords, which established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, including Bahrain.

The accords, brokered in 2020, reshaped regional alignments by fostering economic, diplomatic and security ties between Israel and Arab governments concerned about Iran’s expanding influence.

However, broader normalization efforts across the Arab world have been complicated by Israel’s military operations following the Hamas-led attacks in 2023 and the continuing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

Huckabee said Gulf governments increasingly viewed Iran, rather than Israel, as the more immediate regional security threat.