The UAE secretly pushed for the sale of Israeli drones by Elbit Systems following an attack on Abu Dhabi by Yemen’s Houthis in 2022, according to leaked emails reported by Haaretz and Drop Site News. The emails from Elbit Systems’ executives were obtained by Handala, an online hacking group, with supposed links to the Iranian government. The initial drone sale was valued at $154m, with additional upgrades bringing it up to $225m. That agreement, brokered by Trump's first administration, was framed as an effort to bolster defence ties between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. The emails also contain two references to the SkyStriker loitering munition and another drone, the Hermes 650.