Liza Rozovsky
Haaretz / May 12, 2026
Mike Huckabee described Israel’s deployment of air defense systems to the UAE as one of the benefits of normalizing diplomatic ties. He also said the IDF may be the only force prepared to disarm Hamas in Gaza, expressing doubt at the capacity of the international stabilization force proposed under Trump’s cease-fire plan to do so.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran, in a rare public acknowledgment of defense cooperation between Israel and the Gulf state.
Speaking at the Tel Aviv Conference, Huckabee praised the UAE as the first country to join the Abraham Accords and said the deployment showed the benefits of normalization with Israel.
“I’d like to say a word of appreciation for the United Arab Emirates, the first Abraham Accord member,” Huckabee said. “Just look at the benefits. Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them.”
The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020. The Emirati government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Huckabee’s remarks, though it underscored the growing defense relationship between the two countries, both long suspicious of Iran.
Huckabee added that Gulf states understand they must make a choice based on whether they are more likely to be attacked by Israel or Iran. “Israel is not trying to take over your land, and is not sending missiles to you,” he said.
Axios first reported in late April that Israel had sent an Iron Dome battery to the UAE at the start of the war with Iran. According to the report, which cited two Israeli sources and one U.S. source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the deployment after a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. Israel also sent dozens of IDF soldiers to operate the system, which reportedly intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles.
Huckabee also addressed the confrontation with Iran, saying U.S. President Donald Trump had been clear from the beginning that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon or enriched uranium, which he said leads to a nuclear weapon. The ambassador added that he believes Trump will visit Israel within the next six months.
Regarding Gaza, Huckabee said Trump remains committed to the position that Hamas will not govern the Strip. Asked about the disarmament of Hamas under Trump’s cease-fire plan, Huckabee said the question is not whether it will happen, but “when and who will do it.”
The ambassador said he did not know who would oversee such a move and expressed doubt that the international stabilization force envisioned under the plan would be able to carry it out. He characterized the force as a monitoring body, saying its mission was not to disarm Hamas but to “monitor the border.”
Who’s going to actually do the disarming? I don’t know,” Huckabee said. “It may end up that the only entity willing to do it will be the IDF.”
Huckabee said “a number of nations” were willing to contribute personnel to the international stabilization force, but warned that if Israel ultimately carries out the disarmament, the international community should not condemn it for doing so.
“I hope, pray and insist that what must also accompany that is that the world can’t condemn Israel for doing what it didn’t have the courage to do, and that’s taking Hamas down,” he said. “You don’t send someone into the fire to put out the fire, and then complain because they come out smelling like smoke.”
In recent months, the Board of Peace tasked with Gaza’s postwar administration has held several rounds of intensive negotiations with Hamas, together with mediators from Qatar and Turkey, in an effort to persuade the group to accept a framework for gradual disarmament.
The talks have yet to produce an agreement, though Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza, said last month that there was momentum that could allow a deal to be reached soon.
As part of the negotiations, U.S. officials have presented Israel with several requests, including increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza, expanding the number of residents allowed to return through the Rafah crossing and reducing strikes in the Strip.
