Internal documents leaked from Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, reveal talks over the sale of advanced military systems to the UAE, including dozens of strategic drones and intelligence and electronic warfare systems, indicating the depth of security cooperation between the two countries since the Abraham Accords, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The cooperation reported during the Iran war appears to be the latest stage in a much longer, largely secret military relationship between Israel and Gulf states. The leaked documents trace that network from post-Abraham Accords drone and intelligence deals with the UAE to arms sales involving Qatar and Saudi Arabia, showing how covert defense ties have expanded even where formal relations remain limited or nonexistent.
According to the report, one of the most significant offers came two months after the Ansar Allah attack on Abu Dhabi on Jan. 17, 2022. The attack involved ballistic missiles and drones targeting oil facilities and Abu Dhabi International Airport, killing three people. The documents said Elbit subsequently made an urgent proposal to supply the UAE with its latest drones.
The documents show that the UAE submitted what it called an “urgent operational requirement” for an initial six Hermes 900 drones. One of Elbit’s most advanced models, the Hermes 900, which can carry up to eight air-to-surface missiles, has been used by Israel for intelligence missions for more than a decade and was revealed in 2022 to have been deployed in offensive strikes.
Elbit prepared the offer in March 2022. It covered two Hermes 900 intelligence systems, each consisting of three aircraft, alongside day-and-night electro-optical surveillance payloads, cellular communications interception systems, electronic warfare systems, and systems designed to protect the drones from jamming or interception. It also included two ground control stations.
Haaretz said the proposed systems were intended to give the UAE the ability to conduct surveillance beyond its borders and detect missile and drone launches towards its territory, as well as meet domestic security requirements.
The documents valued each system at about $90 million, but the Emirati request went further. The correspondence showed that Abu Dhabi wanted to expand the deal to 15 systems, creating a fleet of 45 advanced drones and raising its value to about $1.3 billion.
One classified Emirati document attached to the leaked correspondence contained what it called a signals intelligence “wish list.” It included a request for four Elbit-built intelligence aircraft equipped for electronic intelligence gathering, communications interception, cyber and electronic warfare, and visual intelligence. The documents did not establish whether the deal went ahead.
The documents also revealed an offer to sell the UAE a newer strategic platform: the Hermes 650, the latest drone in Elbit’s fleet. Haaretz said the company presented it to the UAE in a sales offer dated March 2023, about a year before its official unveiling at the Singapore Airshow. The Hermes 650 can carry signals intelligence and surveillance and electronic warfare systems. It is expected to gradually replace the Hermes 450, which the Israeli occupation forces have used for nearly 30 years to gather intelligence and carry out strikes.
The offer said the Hermes 650 was interoperable with SkyStriker loitering munitions and Orbiter drones made by Aeronautics, which is owned by Israeli company Rafael. Haaretz said this could indicate that those systems had already been sold to the UAE. The offer also provided Abu Dhabi with an integrated strategic solution covering local production of components, including engines, and system integration inside the UAE, in line with its policy of developing an independent defense industry.
The documents also show that in 2021 the Israeli Defense Ministry authorized Elbit to sell the UAE Hermes 900 drones for intelligence gathering without strike capabilities, alongside SkyStriker loitering munitions with a limited range of up to 60 km. The correspondence also discussed the possible sale of MPR-2000 bombs, one-ton munitions designed to penetrate fortifications and bunkers.
The leaks reveal another project, codenamed “Yasmin 3,” to manufacture 6,000 kits for the UAE within three months, without specifying their type. Haaretz noted that Elbit makes, among other products, kits that convert unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions using GPS or laser guidance.
In November 2025, Elbit announced a $2.3 billion deal—one of the largest in Israel’s history—to supply what it described as an “international customer” with a “strategic solution,” without identifying the customer or the systems sold. However, a December report in a French magazine indicated that the UAE was the customer in question.
Haaretz said military cooperation between Israel and the UAE had deepened further during the current war on Iran, including the deployment of Israeli Iron Dome batteries on Emirati territory and the transfer of interception systems, according to reports. It also pointed to a secret visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UAE at the height of the fighting.
Israeli arms exports reached a record $19 billion in 2025, including about $3 billion to countries that signed the Abraham Accords. Since 2021, Israeli arms sales to those countries have reached about $9 billion, mostly to Morocco and the UAE, according to the report.
The disclosure of Elbit’s deals with the UAE follows a Haaretz report last month that revealed undisclosed military deals between Israeli defense companies and Qatar and Saudi Arabia. They included missile-protection systems for aircraft and advanced components for F-15 fighter jets, supplied through subcontracts under arms programs implemented by US company Boeing for Doha and Riyadh.
According to the report, aircraft in Qatar’s royal fleet were fitted with Elbit’s C-MUSIC system to protect them from infrared-guided missiles. Saudi Arabia received advanced combat helmets and night-vision goggles made by Israeli companies under the F-15SA fighter program, reflecting the expanding presence of Israel’s defense industry in Gulf arms deals even where some countries have no publicly acknowledged relations with Israel.
