US shuffles military assets in Mideast after Gulf pushback: WSJ report
NT Bureau
Doha
The Pentagon is shifting jet fighters, armed drones and other aircraft in the Gulf region, repositioning its forces to get around restrictions on conducting airstrikes from an air base long used by the US in the United Arab Emirates, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
And Washington is shifting some of those warplanes to Qatar to allay concerns among Gulf powers about riling Iran and its proxies, the report adds.
The UAE informed the US in February that it would no longer permit American warplanes and drones based at Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi to carry out strikes in Yemen and Iraq without notifying Emirati officials ahead of time. That has prompted US commanders to send the additional aircraft to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the report said, quoting US officials.
“The move highlights the growing tensions between Washington and some Gulf countries that have allowed American forces to be based on their territory but are wary of being drawn into a regional conflict as the war in Gaza begins its eighth month,” the WSJ report said.
The US has access to numerous bases across the Middle East that it has used in recent months to conduct airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. It has also intercepted drones and missiles over the Red Sea and in the airspace over Jordan and other countries.
But as regional tensions have risen, the UAE has grown increasingly nervous that it could be targeted by Iranian proxies in the region if it is seen to be publicly aiding US military operations, officials said.
“Restrictions have been imposed on strike missions against targets in Iraq and Yemen,” a UAE official told The Wall Street Journal, explaining the decision to limit US warplanes based in its territory from conducting airstrikes. “Those restrictions are coming from a place of self-protection.”
The report added the UAE restricted attacks against Iraq and Yemen from aircraft based at Al Dhafra without prior notification because the US was slow to take action to defend the UAE after it came under attack from militias in those countries in early 2022, according to the Emirati official.
