The partnership became operational in ways that moved beyond diplomatic recognition
In the crucible of a regional war, the United Arab Emirates emerged not as a bystander but as an active combatant, conducting dozens of airstrikes against Iranian targets with intelligence woven together from Washington and Jerusalem. What the Abraham Accords normalized on paper, the conflict made real in fire and coordination — a trilateral military alignment operating across the Persian Gulf. Yet the same war that forged this new architecture also cracked the foundations of Gulf solidarity, as Saudi Arabia quietly pressed for restraint while the Emirates absorbed the heaviest barrage of missiles and drones in the region. History rarely announces its turning points, but this one left marks on oil refineries, air defense batteries, and the map of Middle Eastern power alike.
- Iran launched over 550 ballistic missiles and 2,200 drones at the UAE in roughly six weeks, making the Emirates the most bombarded nation in the conflict — a scale of assault that demanded a response.
- The UAE struck back with dozens of airstrikes on Iranian oil refineries, petrochemical complexes, and strategic Gulf islands, with US and Israeli intelligence guiding the targeting in real time.
- Israel deployed Iron Dome batteries and dozens of soldiers to Emirati soil, transforming a diplomatic accord into a live military partnership operating from the same ground.
- Saudi Arabia worked behind the scenes to pressure Washington into reining in the UAE, alarmed that strikes on regional energy infrastructure could destabilize the entire Gulf economy.
- Even after the April ceasefire, attacks continued — including against a nuclear facility — signaling that the formal end of hostilities had not extinguished the underlying confrontation.
- What has landed is a fractured Gulf, a deepened Israel-UAE military bond, and a new regional security architecture whose costs and contours are still being counted.
The United Arab Emirates conducted dozens of airstrikes against Iranian targets during the recent conflict — a campaign substantially larger than previously known — with US and Israeli intelligence agencies providing targeting support. Strikes reached across the Persian Gulf, hitting the islands of Qeshm and Abu Musa, the port of Bandar Abbas, an oil refinery on Lavan Island, and the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex. Israel also struck Asaluyeh, a move that prompted Washington to ask Jerusalem to stop targeting Iranian energy infrastructure amid growing international concern over economic fallout.
The Emirati operations were a direct response to an extraordinary Iranian assault. Between late February and early April, Iran fired approximately 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the UAE — making the Emirates the most heavily targeted country in the region, surpassing even Israel. Attacks continued even after the ceasefire took hold, including a reported strike on a nuclear facility, underscoring how deeply the UAE had been drawn into the conflict.
The Emirati campaign strained Gulf unity. Saudi Arabia moved quietly to pressure Washington into convincing Abu Dhabi to stand down, concerned both about the targeting of regional oil infrastructure and the broader economic consequences. Riyadh favored diplomacy, but military momentum had already taken hold.
What the conflict ultimately revealed was a transformation of the relationship forged by the 2020 Abraham Accords. Israel deployed an Iron Dome battery and soldiers to operate it on Emirati soil, with dozens of Israeli troops reportedly still stationed there as fighting wound down. Senior Israeli officials visited during the campaign. Intelligence sharing, joint targeting, and the physical presence of Israeli personnel in the Emirates marked a passage from diplomatic normalization into active military coordination — a new phase in regional security that deepened ties between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi even as it exposed the fractures running through the Gulf itself.
The United Arab Emirates conducted dozens of airstrikes against Iranian targets during the opening phase of the recent conflict and continued operations even after a ceasefire took hold in April, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal published Friday. The scale of the Emirati campaign was substantially larger than previously disclosed, with US and Israeli intelligence agencies providing targeting support for strikes that reached across the Persian Gulf—hitting the islands of Qeshm and Abu Musa in the Strait of Hormuz, the port of Bandar Abbas, the oil refinery on Lavan Island, and the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex.
The partnership between the three countries revealed a deepening military alignment, though it also exposed fractures within the Gulf alliance. Israel itself struck the Asaluyeh facility, a move that prompted Washington to request that Jerusalem cease targeting Iranian energy infrastructure. The request came as international concern mounted over attacks on oil facilities and their potential economic consequences. The Emirati strikes, meanwhile, were mounted in response to Iranian attacks on UAE installations—a cycle of escalation that drew the region into direct confrontation.
Between late February and early April, when the ceasefire formally took effect, Iran unleashed approximately 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the UAE, making the Emirates the most heavily targeted country in the region, even more so than Israel. The assault continued even after the truce was announced, with recent strikes reported against a nuclear facility. The sheer volume of Iranian fire underscored how directly the UAE had become entangled in the broader conflict.
The Emirati response strained relationships among Gulf states, particularly with Saudi Arabia, which moved behind the scenes to pressure the US into convincing the UAE to halt its strikes. Riyadh's concern was twofold: the targeting of regional oil infrastructure and the global economic disruption that could follow. Saudi Arabia pushed instead for diplomatic resolution, but the momentum of military operations had already taken hold.
The conflict accelerated a strategic realignment that had begun in 2020 with the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic agreement that normalized relations between Israel and the UAE around their shared concern about Iranian power. During the recent war, that partnership became operational. Israel deployed an Iron Dome air defense battery to the Emirates along with soldiers to operate it—and sources indicated that dozens of Israeli troops remained stationed there as the fighting wound down. Several senior Israeli officials visited during the campaign, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming he was among them, though Abu Dhabi disputed the claim.
What emerged from the conflict was a military relationship between Israel and the UAE that moved beyond diplomatic recognition into active coordination and shared defense infrastructure. The intelligence sharing, the joint targeting, the presence of Israeli personnel on Emirati soil—these represented a new phase in regional security arrangements. Yet the same conflict that deepened ties between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi had fractured the unity of the Gulf states themselves, with Saudi Arabia watching nervously as its smaller neighbor took on risks that could reverberate across the entire region's economy and stability.
Citas Notables
The US requested that Israel cease targeting Iranian energy facilities after strikes on the Asaluyeh complex prompted international concern— Wall Street Journal sources
Saudi Arabia pressured the US to convince the UAE to halt strikes and instead pursue diplomatic efforts, concerned about attacks on regional oil sites— Sources familiar with the matter
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did the UAE strike so aggressively if Iran was already hitting them? Wasn't the damage already done?
The strikes weren't just retaliation in the moment—they were attempts to degrade Iranian capability. But you're right that the timing is interesting. The UAE was absorbing an enormous amount of fire, and at some point the calculus shifts from defense to trying to prevent the next wave.
And the US asked Israel to stop hitting energy targets but didn't ask the UAE to do the same?
That's the telling part. The US was worried about global oil prices and economic fallout. Israel was a closer ally, easier to pressure. The UAE was doing something the US wanted done—degrading Iranian infrastructure—but through a partner that was harder to control.
So Saudi Arabia was essentially saying: stop, you're going to wreck the region's economy?
Exactly. Saudi Arabia has its own interests in regional stability and oil markets. The UAE was taking risks that could hurt everyone's bottom line. From Riyadh's perspective, the Emirates should have been at the negotiating table, not launching strikes.
What does it mean that Israeli troops are still there?
It means the partnership isn't temporary. It's infrastructure now. Air defense, intelligence sharing, military presence—that doesn't get stood up and torn down quickly. This is the Abraham Accords becoming real, becoming operational.
And Netanyahu's visit—why would Abu Dhabi deny it?
Optics. Publicly hosting the Israeli prime minister during a war with Iran is a different statement than quietly coordinating strikes. One is partnership; the other looks like occupation.