UAE Secretly Attacked Iran With Help From US and Israel: Wall Street Journal Claims

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) carried out dozens of airstrikes against Iran during the war, in a deeper level of involvement than previously known, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the strikes began in the early days of the war and continued through the day after the April cease-fire was announced.

The attacks were carried out in coordination with the United States and Israel, both of which provided intelligence, the people said.

The reported targets included Qeshm and Abu Musa islands in the Strait of Hormuz, Bandar Abbas, the Lavan Island oil refinery in the Persian Gulf and the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex.

Some of the strikes targeted Iranian energy facilities in response to Tehran’s attacks on UAE oil and gas infrastructure.

The strike on Asaluyeh, carried out with Israel, drew significant international backlash. It also led the United States to ask Israel to stop targeting energy facilities, according to the report.

Before the conflict, Gulf states had publicly insisted that they would not allow their territory or airspace to be used for military action against Iran. However, the report suggests that Abu Dhabi moved away from that position at the start of the war.

Iran responded by targeting Gulf cities, airports and energy infrastructure with missiles and drones in an effort to raise the cost of the campaign.

The UAE absorbed the largest share of those attacks, with more than 2,800 missiles and drones directed at the country. That was far more than Iran fired at any other country, including Israel.