Converging intelligence and media reports have revealed that the United Arab Emirates is behind the largest deal in the history of Israeli military industries company Elbit Systems, with an estimated value of $ 2.3 billion. This disclosure exposed Abu Dhabi’s financing of Israel’s most sensitive military capabilities.
According to the French website Intelligence Online, the deal announced by the Israeli company around a month ago, and officially described as being directed to an “international client”, in fact belongs to the UAE. It is considered the largest transaction since Elbit’s establishment.
The company’s notification to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange contained no operational or geographic details, referring only to a “highly sensitive strategic solution”. This was accompanied by the imposition of a publication ban inside Israel on large portions of the agreement.
This level of secrecy is not typically applied to conventional arms export deals. It is imposed when a transaction is linked to advanced systems that affect sensitive military or political balances, or when the purchasing party prefers to avoid public exposure for reasons related to legitimacy or regional repercussions.
The Israeli economic newspaper Calcalist reported that the nature of the system underpinning the deal could reduce Israel’s military superiority in the Middle East. This indicates that the agreement does not involve ordinary defensive equipment, but rather advanced systems in the fields of command and control, network integration, intelligence, and electronic warfare.
These fields constitute the backbone of modern Israeli military doctrine and are not usually exported except under strict political and security conditions.
The deal comes within the context of a gradual trajectory that began following the signing of normalisation agreements between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv approximately five years ago. Since then, cooperation has shifted from the diplomatic level to a direct security partnership.
The opening of official offices for Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries in Abu Dhabi and Dubai represented an organisational step that facilitated this transformation and enabled the UAE to access Israeli companies directly without international intermediaries.
Foreign reports indicated that Israel Aerospace Industries sold the UAE Barak MX missile batteries shortly after the normalisation agreement was signed.
Subsequently, the Emirati EDGE Group acquired 30% of Third Eye Systems, a company specialising in systems for disabling drones and unmanned aerial vehicles.
These investments reflect a clear Emirati focus on surveillance, jamming, and control of low-altitude airspace. These capabilities are used in managing non-conventional conflicts, not solely for traditional air defence.
In parallel, Abu Dhabi sought to purchase American F-35 fighter jets.
Despite approval by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the deal was not completed due to conditions imposed by the US administration. These included retaining the ability to remotely control the aircraft, in anticipation of potential leakage of sensitive technologies to China.
This condition reflects the level of American concern regarding the nature of Emirati partnerships with Beijing, particularly in the fields of technology and communications.
The decline in Emirati enthusiasm to complete the F-35 deal was met with greater openness toward Israeli alternatives, which appear less restrictive regarding technology transfer or monitoring of its use. This partially explains the expansion of military cooperation with Israel, not only as an arms supplier, but as a technical partner capable of providing advanced systems with a narrower margin of oversight compared to the United States.
Within this framework, the Elbit deal cannot be separated from the regional role played by the UAE in several conflict arenas. In Sudan, Abu Dhabi officially denies any direct military support, despite United Nations and media reports pointing to undeclared roles.
In Libya and Yemen, the UAE has relied on indirect tools to manage influence, including support for local formations and the use of advanced surveillance technologies. Possession of sophisticated Israeli systems enhances this pattern of undeclared intervention.
The concealment of the UAE’s name from the deal before its later exposure indicates an official awareness of the sensitivity of announcing it amid the ongoing war on Gaza, and the accusations directed at Israeli companies of participating in military operations that have resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties.
Based on the available data, the deal demonstrates that Emirati-Israeli relations have moved beyond the stage of political normalisation to a level of deep security partnership, founded on the exchange of sensitive technologies and reciprocal investments.
This development reflects an Emirati strategic choice centred on building tools of regional influence that rely on Israeli technical capabilities, while reducing dependence on Western partnerships constrained by stricter political and security conditions.
