Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The United Arab Emirates secretly carried out military strikes against Iran during the conflict, becoming the third country (alongside the US and Israel) to directly engage Iran in combat.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Shortly after the conflict kicked off with Iran, the Iranian government responded by attacking targets across the Persian Gulf region with Iranian officials claiming they were targeting countries that were either actively supporting or providing logistical access to the US and Israel during the war. The UAE got hit harder than any other country in the region during the conflict (more than even Israel), with the UAE’s defense ministry reporting that Iran launched roughly 550 ballistic and cruise missiles along with over 2,200 drones at the country.

What’s going on now: First reported by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, the UAE secretly conducted strikes against Iranian targets during the war, with the most significant known attack hitting the Lavan Island oil refinery in the Persian Gulf in early April. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Journal, the strike sparked a major fire at the facility and is expected to leave its output crippled for months. The attack happened around the time Trump was finalizing the April 8 ceasefire, though the report did not specify whether it occurred before or after the truce was declared.

At the time, Iran said the refinery had been struck by an “unspecified enemy,” then turned around and launched its own wave of missiles and drones at both the UAE and Kuwait, similar to the wider barrages it had been carrying out throughout the war. The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the strikes, and its Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to the Journal’s questions on the matter, instead referring back to earlier statements asserting the country’s right to defend itself against Iranian attacks. The Pentagon also declined to comment on the report.

One source told the Journal that the US welcomed UAE participation in the war, with the Trump administration wanting Gulf nations to take a bigger role throughout the war. Other Gulf states reportedly refused to actively engage Iran during the fighting despite repeated requests.