Arab states in the Persian Gulf tried to prevent a US-Israeli strike on Iran. Now, as Tehran retaliates, their own territories are under fire.
Iran’s neighbors have spent decades preparing for a potential attack. But the ferocity of Tehran’s retaliation has left both governments and people of the region stunned.
Since the Islamic Republic took power almost half a century ago, oil-rich US-allied Arab states have fortified themselves against their neighbor by spending hundreds of billions of dollars on American weapons and hosting US bases in the hope of deterring an attack. Up to 40,000 American troops are stationed across the region, equipped with advanced US missile-defense systems.
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