The United States will send a squadron of F-22 fighter jets to the UAE to defend against drone attacks launched by Yemeni rebels from the Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement, Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), said in an interview with the Emirates WAM news agency.

Last week, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the US would send fighter jets and a missile destroyer to the Gulf region to support the UAE after recent attacks by the Houthis.

Since the beginning of January, the Houthis, after a long break, again began shelling the UAE in response to the resumption of the participation of the Emirati military in operations against the Houthis in Yemen.

Armed confrontation between government forces and the Houthis has been ongoing in Yemen since August 2014. Since 2015, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been fighting on the side of the government.