Israel-Greece air defence deal to be 'scaled up' with UAE as contender, sources say

Israel-Greece air defence deal to be 'scaled up' with UAE as contender, sources say Israel plans to “scale up” the export of the layered air-defence system it sold to Greece, with the UAE as its desired buyer, one current and one former US official familiar with ongoing discussions told Middle East Eye. Talks between Israel and the UAE, taking place alongside the US, are focused on how Israel can address a gap in the Emirates’ “layered defence” capabilities, the current US official told MEE. Israel’s $3.5bn sale to Greece on Monday is being described as a model for how it can export its systems and design to other partners. “This is a profit machine for Israel that they are looking to scale up,” the former US official familiar with the matter told MEE. “Israel’s layered air defence systems are cheaper and more exportable than ours [the US’s],” they added. The UAE is a prime candidate because it already cooperates on defence with Israel. The US said that Israel deployed Iron Dome missile defence batteries and technicians to the UAE during the height of fighting with Iran earlier this year. The Financial Times reported that Israel also sent a drone detection platform to the UAE. MEE revealed in May that the two countries sealed a deal to pursue the joint development and acquisition of weapons systems. The UAE already operates US-made Patriot and Thaad air defence systems. The Breaking Defence news site reported in 2022 that the UAE also purchased Israel's Barak air defence system. "[But] the UAE does not have a fully layered air-defence system," the US official told MEE. Read more: Israel-Greece air defence deal to be 'scaled up' with UAE as contender, sources say A battery of Israel's Iron Dome air defence system deployed near Gaza, on 17 April 2024 (Jack Guez/AFP)