By AMIT AVITAN
Bahrain and Kuwait secretly sent fighter jets to attack targets inside Iran, marking their first direct retaliatory action against Tehran, the Wall Street Journal, WSJ, reported on Friday.
According to sources familiar with the details, the airstrikes, carried out earlier this month, targeted drone and missile storage facilities, among other military sites.
Sources familiar with the matter told WSJ the two Gulf states have relatively small air forces equipped with US and European aircraft, but were unwilling to allow Tehran to continue attacking them without a response.
Countries such as Oman and Qatar have for years pursued a balanced policy between Iran and the West and have shown little willingness to confront Tehran directly, people familiar with the details shared with WSJ.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia joined the United Arab Emirates in strikes against Iran at an earlier stage of the war, but is now reassessing its position.
UAE provided intelligence on the targets and defensive air cover for the strikes
The report also claimed that the United Arab Emirates, which attacked Iran several times at the beginning of the war, provided intelligence on the targets and defensive air cover for the strikes, a sign of emerging Arab cooperation against Iran, according to the sources.
THE JERUSALEM POST