Ankara: Bahrain and Kuwait quietly deployed fighter jets to strike targets within Iran earlier this month, marking their first known direct military response against Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing 'people familiar with the matter.'

According to Anadolu Agency, the strikes targeted facilities used to store drones and missiles, along with other military installations. The report indicates that the United Arab Emirates, which had previously launched several attacks on Iran during the early stages of the conflict, contributed intelligence on potential targets and provided defensive air support. This reflects growing coordination among Arab states in countering Iran.

For several weeks, Iran has focused its retaliatory attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which host US military bases. Despite having relatively modest air forces equipped with American and European-made fighter jets, Bahrain and Kuwait were unwilling to let Tehran continue striking them without a response, the report said.

Regional tensions have escalated in the past two weeks after US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 that the ceasefire outlined in the Islamabad MoU was no longer in effect. Since then, the US and Iran have exchanged strikes, with Washington targeting sites inside Iran, while Tehran claims to have attacked US military facilities and equipment across several countries in the region.