UAE carried out dozens of strikes against Iran during war: Report

The United Arab Emirates conducted dozens of covert airstrikes against Iranian strategic positions from the opening weeks of the war between Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran through the day after an April ceasefire took effect, targeting energy infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz with support from American and Israeli intelligence, according to a report published Friday.

Targets included Hormuz islands and Bandar Abbas

The operations struck strategic islands in the Strait of Hormuz, the port city of Bandar Abbas and major energy facilities including a petrochemical complex and an island oil refinery, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Some were carried out in direct retaliation for Iranian attacks on Emirati oil and gas infrastructure, the newspaper added, noting that Abu Dhabi's Foreign Ministry had previously held Tehran fully responsible for what it described as terrorist attacks and their consequences.

Riyadh tensions and OPEC withdrawal

The scale of the Emirates' military involvement strained relations with Saudi Arabia, the report said, adding that Abu Dhabi complained to Washington its strikes risked drawing regional energy facilities into the crossfire and destabilizing global oil markets. In late April, the UAE withdrew from the OPEC and OPEC+ alliance and deepened its security partnership with Israel, which deployed Iron Dome air defense batteries and troops to the Gulf nation during the conflict, according to the Journal.