How secret UAE and Saudi strikes on Iran shattered an uneasy coexistence

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia carried out multiple strikes against Iran after their countries were attacked by the regime in the early days of the war, showing the depth of the Gulf states’ involvement in the conflict and how much the region’s geopolitics have been transformed.Before the war, strikes by the Gulf states on their large and heavily armed neighbor and rival for power in the Middle East would have been unthinkable. But new details have emerged that give a clearer picture of how directly they fought in the war, upending a careful balance the countries had sought to achieve.The U.A.E.

and Saudi Arabia are now trying to re-establish deterrence against an Iranian regime that is less willing to compromise and holds new leverage over rivals with its chokehold on Strait of Hormuz and deep supplies of missiles and drones that are draining the Gulf’s stockpiles of munitions needed to intercept them.The strikes by the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia came after Tehran attacked energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in both countries.The U.A.E.

engaged as early as the first week of the war and struck repeatedly using warplanes and Chinese-made drones in coordination with Israel and the U.S., people familiar with the matter said.Saudi Arabia’s air force carried out multiple strikes on targets that included Iranian drone and missile-launch sites, one of the officials said. Saudi warplanes also hit targets in Iraq linked to Iranian-backed militias, some of the people said.The Arab monarchies have long seen Iran as their top security threat, but they also have deep economic and social ties with the country.