US President Joe Biden has halted the sale of F-35 stealth jets to the UAE, even though they were promised as part of the Abraham Accords.
The new administration has raised concerns the UAE might use these jets against the rebel Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis have no air force and only rudimentary air defenses. The UAE has a decently-sized air force made up of 77 F-16s and 63 Mirage 2000s.
The UAE operates with Saudi Arabian air assets against the Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has 42 F-15s , 74 light attack F-5s and 44 Tornado fighters.
There have been a number of previous incidents where the Saudis and UAE have allegedly hit civilian targets, either on purpose or by accident.