Iran warned any attack on the country would spark a regional conflict.
The United States and Israel either did not believe them or judged it a risk worth taking. Eleven days into the war, it is the Gulf Arab nations that are paying the price, none more so than the United Arab Emirates.
More than 1,700 missiles and drones have been fired towards the UAE since the war began, according to the country’s defense ministry, more than 90% of them downed by interceptors, fighter jets and helicopters.
US President Donald Trump admitted in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper last week that Iran’s willingness to strike its Arab neighbors had been his biggest surprise of the war.