The United Arab Emirates was behind some of the recent strikes against Iranian assets, such as the attacks on Lavan Island’s refinery at the beginning of April, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
According to the report, which cited sources informed in the matter, the UAE carried out the strikes secretly as a response to Iran targeting Emirati civilian and energy infrastructures.
Iran later sent another barrage of drones and missiles against both the UAE and Kuwait in response to this attack, even if there was no official confirmation of who was behind it at that time.
The Emirati government didn’t publicly confirm its participation in the strikes against Iran, which were done before the current ceasefire started.
The United States silently welcomed the UEA’s initiative to participate in the strikes, according to the WSJ, with officials telling the newspaper that the Trump administration expected more active participation from the Gulf nations during the war.
The UAE was among the countries hardest hit by the recent war between Israel, the US, and Iran, both economically due to the closure of airspace and the Strait of Hormuz, and physically, as many Iranian attacks targeted infrastructure in the Emirates.
The active participation of the UAE in the Iran war, with recent reports also saying that the Emirates were behind some of the most recent attacks on Iranian assets, seems to be another step by the Gulf state to position itself as a security powerhouse in the region.
The kingdom has been investing in its air force, has some of the most advanced radar detection systems, and it even had an Iron Dome system with IDF operators in the country during the latest round of fighting.
Multiple Israeli officials have stated that the decision to send the Iron Dome battery and interceptors was made after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ).
Additionally, it has been participating in multiple conflicts over the last few decades, with troops sent to Libya, Sudan, and Yemen amid other conflicts.
According to the WSJ report, the country has become more willing than ever to use its military to defend its economic interests and expand its influence in the Middle East and adjacent regions, such as North Africa.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Goldie Katz contributed to this report.