Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A bombshell report by Britain’s The Daily Telegraph has revealed that officials linked to U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly encouraged the United Arab Emirates to take direct military action against Iran, including seizing control of the strategic Iranian island of Lavan in the Gulf.
The report paints a dramatic picture of an increasingly volatile regional conflict, with the UAE emerging as a far more active player in the confrontation between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other.
According to the Telegraph, current and former American officials viewed Emirati military involvement as a way to avoid deploying large numbers of U.S. troops directly into combat. One former Trump-era security official was quoted as saying bluntly: “Go and take it,” referring to Lavan Island, adding that “the troops on the ground would be Emirati rather than American.”
The revelations come amid growing reports of deepening military and intelligence cooperation between the UAE and Israel during the regional war that erupted earlier this year.
The Telegraph claimed the UAE had come under intense Iranian retaliation since late February, with more than 2,800 missiles and drones allegedly launched toward Emirati territory following joint American and Israeli strikes inside Iran. Targets reportedly included infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, among them airports, military facilities, and energy installations.
Although Emirati air defenses intercepted many of the incoming attacks, the strikes triggered one of the most dangerous escalations the Gulf region has witnessed in years.
Against that backdrop, the report said Abu Dhabi began reassessing its regional alliances and defense posture, strengthening cooperation with Washington and Tel Aviv while tensions quietly increased with Gulf neighbors including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
According to the newspaper, Emirati officials attempted during the early stages of the war to persuade Saudi Arabia and Qatar to join retaliatory military operations against Iran, though those efforts reportedly failed.
The report also cited claims that the UAE conducted covert strikes against Iranian targets, including attacks on Lavan Island in April 2026. While Abu Dhabi has not officially confirmed such operations, Iranian officials have accused the UAE of being an “active partner” in attacks against the Islamic Republic.
The Emirati government has denied direct involvement while insisting it reserves the right to defend itself against any threats to its sovereignty and national security.
Meanwhile, military coordination between the UAE and Israel appears to have accelerated significantly during the conflict. The U.S. ambassador to Israel reportedly confirmed that Israel transferred Iron Dome defense systems to the UAE to help counter Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Reports also suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the UAE in March at the beginning of the military campaign, with the visit allegedly resulting in what sources described as a “major breakthrough” in bilateral cooperation, though Emirati officials denied aspects of those claims.
Security analysts quoted by the Telegraph argued that the war has accelerated the formation of what they described as a U.S.-Israeli-Emirati strategic axis in the Middle East. At the same time, experts warned that deeper military coordination with Israel could fuel anger across the Arab world and intensify accusations that Abu Dhabi has become directly involved not only in the confrontation with Iran, but also in the broader regional fallout from the Gaza war.
Separate investigative reports previously published by The Wall Street Journal and the Telegraph claimed the UAE carried out secret military operations inside Iranian territory during the recent conflict.
According to those reports, Emirati fighter jets and advanced drones allegedly operating in coordination with U.S. and Israeli forces, struck Iran’s Lavan oil refinery in early April, causing major damage to one of Tehran’s important refining facilities.
Iran initially denied that such attacks had taken place before later escalating its rhetoric and warning of severe retaliation against any Gulf state used as a launch point for operations targeting Iranian territory.
The latest revelations underscore how rapidly the Gulf conflict has evolved into a broader regional confrontation involving covert operations, shifting alliances, and an increasingly open security partnership between the UAE, the United States, and Israel developments that could reshape the balance of power across the Middle East for years to come.
