The United Arab Emirates conducted dozens of airstrikes against Iran over the course of the war, ending the day after the US -Iran cease-fire was announced in early April, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The UAE coordinated with the US and Israel, utilizing intelligence from both, and targeted Iranian energy sites in response to Iranian strikes on UAE oil and gas infrastructure, the WSJ cited several sources as saying.
While Gulf states initially said they wouldn’t let their bases or airspaces be used to attack, some changed their policies after Iranian attacks against various Gulf countries.
Iran targeted the UAE with more than 2,800 missiles and drones, more than were fired at any other country, including Israel.
In return, the UAE cooperated with the US and Israel to strike back at targets, including on Qeshm and Abu Musa islands in the Strait of Hormuz, Bandar Abbas, and the oil refinery on Lavan island in the Persian Gulf, according to the WSJ.
Israeli-UAE cooperation
Another strike was on the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex, and was carried out with Israel, the WSJ wrote, and led to international condemnation, including US President Donald Trump asking Israel to stop striking energy facilities.
When asked about the attack on the Asaluyeh compound and Trump’s response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told journalists that “Israel acted alone against the Asaluyeh gas compound.”
The UAE has increased its alliance with Israel over the war, with Israel sending Iron Dome batteries and IDF soldiers to the UAE, the WSJ wrote.
Additionally, multiple Israeli officials visited the UAE, including Mossad Director David Barnea, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Director David Zini, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Netanyahu, although Netanyahu’s visit was denied by the UAE’s Foreign Ministry before being reconfirmed by Netanyahu’s spokesperson.
In April, Saudi Arabia criticized the UAE's aggressive approach and complained to the US that the UAE's strikes raised the risk of Iranian retaliation across the region.
Rifts grows between UAE, Gulf states
UAE President Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) expressed frustration with neighboring Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, after they refused to coordinate a military response to Iran’s attacks during the war, according to a Bloomberg report from earlier in the month.
MBZ held several phone calls with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud shortly after Israel and the US began striking Iran on February 28.
While he began working with the Trump administration and Jerusalem, MBZ's neighbors told him that it was not their war to join. This worsened the already-strained relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, a source told Bloomberg.
These details offer a possible explanation for why the UAE appears to be angry at its neighbors, culminating in a withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+ in late April, as well as growing ties with Israel, both Bloomberg and the WSJ noted.
James Genn contributed to this report.