Saudi Arabia launched multiple, covert strikes on Iran in
retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East war,
Reuters reports.
Citing two Western officials and two Iranian officials,
Reuters reported that the attacks were launched by the Saudi air force and
were assessed to have been carried out in late March.
The attacks had not been previously reported as Saudi
Arabia, a United States ally, had publicly distanced itself from the conflict.
This marks the first time that the kingdom is known to have directly carried out
military action on Iranian soil. It is unclear what the targets were.
A separate Telegraph report noted that the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) also launched attacks against Iran.
The UAE’s strikes took place “around the time” that US
President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the war, after a five-week
military campaign against Tehran.
Until these reports emerged, Iran had publicly claimed
responsibility for hitting all six Gulf Cooperation Council states
with missiles and drones.
The Islamic Republic said its targets were US military
bases, but civilian sites, airports and oil infrastructure were also hit, while
the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed, disrupting global trade.
Abu Dhabi said it maintained the right to respond to hostile
attacks in a defensive manner but denied any active interventions against
Tehran throughout the conflict.
However, the UAE’s armed forces, which are equipped with
American helicopters and fighter jets, reportedly attacked an oil refinery on
Iran’s Lavan Island in the Gulf at the start of April, according to the Wall
Street Journal.
While the UAE took a more hawkish stance, seeking to extract a cost from Iran,
Iranian and Western officials said Saudi Arabia alerted Tehran of its strikes.
The alert was followed by intensive diplomatic engagement
and Saudi threats to retaliate further, which led to an understanding between
the two countries to de-escalate the conflict.
From more than 105 drone and missile attacks from Iran on
Saudi Arabia in the week of March 25-31, the number fell to just over 25
between April 1-6, according to a Reuters tally of Saudi defence ministry
statements.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been at odds with both
nations backing opposing groups in conflicts across the region.
Both countries reportedly de-escalated tensions in the week before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire on April 7.
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