Saudi Arabia carried out covert strikes on Iran in late March, Reuters reports

Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia carried out a series of strikes on Iranian territory in late March, according to Western and Iranian officials cited by the news agency.

The officials said the attacks were launched in retaliation for strikes targeting Saudi Arabia during the war in the Middle East.

According to the report, the operations carried out by the Saudi air force consisted of “multiple” attacks that were “not publicly disclosed.” One Western official described the incidents as “mirror attacks” in response to strikes on Saudi Arabia.

Reuters said it had been unable to identify the locations targeted in the attacks.

According to the agency, intensive diplomatic contacts between Riyadh and Tehran followed the Saudi strikes.

Sources said Saudi Arabia warned that it was prepared for further retaliatory measures, after which the two sides agreed to de-escalate tensions.

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that the United Arab Emirates also carried out covert strikes against Iran. According to sources cited by the newspaper, an attack on Iran’s oil refinery on Lavan Island was conducted in early April, around the same period that US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire.

According to the report, the UAE did not claim responsibility for the attack. However, a major fire broke out at the facility afterward, and part of the refinery’s capacity was taken offline for several months.

Bloomberg also reported that the UAE coordinated its attacks against Iran with Israel. Sources cited by the agency said the strikes were carried out not only once, but multiple times before and after the ceasefire that took effect on April 8 between the US, Israel and Tehran.

The sources said one of the operations was a joint retaliatory action prepared with Israel in response to an Iranian attack on a petrochemical facility owned by Borouge in the UAE.

According to Bloomberg, the UAE and Israel deepened their security cooperation as the conflict in the Middle East continued.

Sources cited by the agency said the two sides shared intelligence, coordinated efforts to prevent Iranian attacks, and jointly participated in identifying targets inside Iranian territory.

Sources speaking to Bloomberg also said Israel and the UAE jointly coordinated an attack on a petrochemical facility in Iran’s Assaluyeh on May 6.

The same sources said the UAE also carried out an attack on Iranian oil refinery facilities located on Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf.

Bloomberg noted that the UAE government had previously said the country’s international relations and defense partnerships were “entirely a matter of sovereignty.”