'Make a choice': Huckabee warns Gulf to choose between Iran and Israel

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned Arab Gulf states that they must "make a choice" between Israel and Iran amid the current standoff, after 40 days of a US-Israeli war on Iran that saw it target and destroy US-aligned assets in the region in retaliation.

"The Gulf states now understood they will have to make a choice. Is it more likely they will be attacked by Iran or Israel?" Huckabee said in a conversation with Israeli television presenter Hila Korach on Tuesday. 

"They see that Israel helped us and Iran attacked us. Israel is not trying to take over your land and is not sending missiles to you," he added.

Huckabee, a Baptist minister and avowed Zionist, said he is confident that more Arab states will now join US President Donald Trump's Abraham Accords and normalise their relations with Israel.

This is despite widespread public outrage across the Arab world at Israel's genocide in Gaza, and a fast-growing dissatisfaction with the closeness of the US-Israeli relationship among the American public. 

As part of that conversation in Tel Aviv, Huckabee confirmed that Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries to the UAE as well as soldiers to operate them, as the Gulf state came under the heaviest attacks from Iran.

"How come? Because there’s an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel based on the Abraham Accords," Huckabee said.

His comments marked the first on-the-record confirmation of the assistance Israel has provided to the UAE amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Axios reported last month that Israel sent an Iron Dome air defence system to the Gulf state, along with personnel to operate it. The Financial Times later reported that Israel also sent its Iron Beam laser defence system to the UAE to defend against Iranian drones and missiles.

UAE stands out

The UAE was among the most heavily targeted during the war, with authorities saying that Iran launched around 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the country. 

While most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, the attacks have dented the Gulf states' status as a luxury tourism and financial haven.

But Iran also caused material damage. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Tuesday that the UAE’s main natural gas plant would only return to full capacity next year after being targeted twice by Iran. The Habshan processing facility is only operating at about 60 percent capacity, with plans to return to full capacity in 2027.

The Gulf states opposed the US war on Iran, but when the fighting started, they generally stood by the US, which is their main security partner. While Saudi Arabia has helped the US wage war on Iran by providing enhanced access, basing, and overflights, it has also backed mediation efforts by its close partner, Pakistan.

Abu Dhabi lobbied publicly and privately for the US to continue attacking Iran and tried to prevent Pakistan from bringing the US and Iran together for talks.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the UAE launched strikes on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Gulf in early April, around the time the US was announcing a ceasefire.

The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the operation. The strike reportedly triggered a large fire and disabled much of the facility’s capacity for months, marking a significant escalation at a time when US President Donald Trump was promoting the ceasefire after a five-week air campaign.

Iran described the incident as an “enemy attack” and responded with a barrage of missile and drone strikes against the UAE and Kuwait.