US Fighter Jets Arrive in UAE After Yemen Attacks | Farsnews Agency

US F-22 fighter jets arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, part of an American defense response to recent attacks by Yemeni forces in retaliation for the Saudi-led war.

The Raptors landed at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, which hosts some 2,000 US troops, The AP reported.

American soldiers there launched Patriot interceptor missiles in response to the Yemen's Houthi attacks last month, the first time US troops have fired the system in combat since the 2003 Washington-led invasion of Iraq.

American officials declined to say how many F-22s deployed or the number of airmen supporting the aircraft, citing operational security. However, they identified the unit involved as the 1st Fighter Wing, located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. A photo later released by the Air Force showed six F-22s in a line on a taxiway at Al-Dhafra.

In January, the Yemeni Army and its allied fighters from the Popular Committees launched three rounds of retaliatory missile and drone strikes deep inside Dubai and Abu Dhabi.