Shelby Holliday

We know that the UAE has been quietly conducting strikes.

We believe for several weeks there was speculation swirling as early as mid-March because there were photographs and videos of fighter jets over Iran that were not Israeli or American.

So the UAE has a very capable, small but capable air force, highly trained, very advanced fighter jets.

They have tankers that can refuel those jets.

They have command and control aircraft that can support them.

So when you're talking to military analysts, they say it makes a lot of sense UAE has been conducting strikes.

Why would they sit there without responding when they have such strong capabilities?

And they've been getting hammered by Iranian drones and missiles and attacks throughout the entire war.

What has the reaction been in Washington to the UAE's involvement in this way?

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Our reporting indicates that the U.S.

has quietly welcomed these attacks and would potentially welcome attacks from other neighbors in the Gulf as well.

And now that the US and Israel have completely wiped out Iran's air defenses, there's actually very low risk for these countries.

What we know is that the U.S.

and the UAE have a very historically strong defense partnership.

The question is, if President Trump rips up the ceasefire and says we're back to war, will the UAE get even more involved?

And would other Gulf countries get involved?

The UAE and Kuwait and Bahrain are all countries that you could see potentially stepping in to help a little bit more and defend their territories and strike back.

That was the Journal's Shelby Holliday.

Thanks, Shelby.