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Bahrain and Kuwait quietly carried out airstrikes inside Iran earlier this month in their first known direct military action against Tehran, retaliating after weeks of Iranian attacks on the two Gulf states, according to a report.
The strikes targeted facilities used to store drones and missiles, along with other military sites inside Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The United Arab Emirates supported the operation by providing intelligence on potential targets and defensive air cover after previously carrying out multiple strikes inside Iran earlier in the conflict, according to the report.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in May that the UAE had secretly conducted dozens of airstrikes inside Iran from the opening days of the war through the day after a ceasefire was announced, in coordination with the U.S. and Israel.
The newspaper said the strikes targeted strategic islands in the Strait of Hormuz, Bandar Abbas, the Lavan Island refinery and the Assaluyeh petrochemical complex, with some attacks carried out in retaliation for Iranian strikes on Emirati oil and gas infrastructure.
The UAE rejected the report at the time, insisting it was not a party to the war and had not permitted its territory, territorial waters or airspace to be used for attacks against Iran.
Tehran had spent weeks launching missiles and drones at Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which host major U.S. military facilities, after fighting resumed following the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire earlier this month.
Iranian missiles and drones repeatedly struck military bases, airfields, ports and energy infrastructure, while officials warned that any country supporting U.S. operations would be treated as a legitimate target.
Although Bahrain and Kuwait operate relatively small fleets of U.S.- and European-made fighter aircraft, officials concluded they could no longer endure the sustained bombardment without responding, the report said.
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