Summary: a new satellite launched by the Israelis enables greater surveillance and attack potential. It may also signal more intelligence cooperation between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
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“this is a frontiers-of-technology system with better than 0.4m resolution” – According to the NYT (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/washington/11satellite.html), the US has had ~0.15cm (~6″) resolution since 1992. GoogleEarth shows street markings, ie at roughly the same resolution.
“not perhaps able to read a car number plate from space, but close to being able to do so” – The letters on car number plates are usually ~5cm x 10cm, with strokes being ~2cm wide. 0.4m resolution may be able to detect the 40cm long number plate (depending on the look angle), but not to identify letters / numbers.
“leading those within the Arab world who regard Iran as an enemy to seek someone more willing and able than they are themselves to confront Iran directly. In this regard, Israel with its demonstrable resolve, seems to fit the bill.” Thus far, Israel has engaged Iran indirectly – through cyber, by using Israeli proxies, or by attacking IRI proxies; it probably has long range / submarine launched missile capability; it has also mulled long range airstrikes (on the lines of its attack on Ossirak in Iraq, or the PLO in Tunis.) Conventionally, Israel has very limited expeditionary capability, and – as a conscript army, with a “restless” indigenous population – is unwilling to commit to enduring operations abroad. While the IDF has sent medical teams etc to UN disaster situations, it is not reported to have committed combat forces to non-national operations, despite allegedly being asked to do so by US.
“Last year, the UAE Air Force took delivery of two Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft with electro-optic and signals intelligence equipment provided by the Israeli-owned Elbit Systems, and these aircraft are now active on collections missions over the Gulf off the northern Emirati coast.” It would not be a surprise if feed from this found its way to Israel in a similar way to that which the US and UK did to Israel (https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/29/politics/us-uk-israel-drones/index.html).