UAE "Remove Fighter Jets"... US Military Left Adrift in the Middle East

Concerns Over US-Iran Conflict Fallout
Iraq Also Demands US Troop Withdrawal

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The U.S. military is reportedly being "checked" even by its long-time military ally, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is now forced to move its fighter jets to nearby locations, according to an analysis.

The American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyzed this on the 3rd (local time). According to WSJ, UAE authorities have informed the U.S. that they will no longer allow U.S. fighter jets and drones stationed at the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi to carry out attacks on Yemen and Iraq without prior notification to the UAE government.

This measure is explained as a precaution by the UAE, fearing that openly supporting U.S. military operations would make them a target of Iran. A UAE official told WSJ, "This restriction applies to missions targeting sites in Iraq and Yemen," adding, "It is a matter of UAE's self-defense."

As a result, the U.S. Department of Defense is relocating fighter jets and drones to the nearby Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. According to U.S. officials, the U.S. military is also considering conducting airstrikes from Djibouti in East Africa, in addition to Qatar.

WSJ analyzed that this move reflects rising tensions between the U.S. government and several Middle Eastern countries that allow U.S. military presence on their soil but do not want to be drawn into conflicts.

In fact, the U.S. military has recently been conducting military operations across the Middle East in response to armed actions by Iran and its proxy forces. They have carried out multiple airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, and have shot down missile and drone attacks by pro-Iran Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The number of countries that do not welcome conflicts between pro-Iran forces and the U.S. military is increasing.

Besides the UAE, the Iraqi government, where clashes between U.S. forces and pro-Iran militias have recently occurred, has also strongly demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which has been operating in the Red Sea, is scheduled to withdraw from the Middle East region by this summer, which is also cited as a reason why the U.S. Department of Defense has deployed additional fighter jets to the Qatar air base.