Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, December 12, 2021. Tsafrir Abayov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

JERUSALEM, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Israel has offered security and intelligence support to the United Arab Emirates against further drone attacks after a deadly strike by the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, according to a letter released on Tuesday. by the Israeli leader.

Three people were killed and six injured on Monday when three tank trucks exploded in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. A Houthi military spokesman said the group fired “a large number” of drones and five ballistic missiles in the attack.

On Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sentenced what he described as a “terrorist drone attack”.

His spokesman attached a copy of a condolence letter he sent to the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Monday.

“We stand ready to offer you security and intelligence support to help protect your citizens from similar attacks,” Bennett wrote. “I have ordered the Israeli security services to provide all assistance to their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, if you are interested.”

The United Arab Emirates, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel at the White House in 2020. The two Gulf countries and Israel share common concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.

“Israel is committed to working closely with you in the ongoing battle against extremist forces in the region, and we will continue to partner with you to defeat our common enemies,” Bennett said in his message to Sheikh Mohammed. .

Bennett and Sheikh Mohammed held talks in Abu Dhabi in December last year, the first-ever public meeting between the two men.

Reporting by Jeffrey Heller Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

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