LONDON: From the very start of the joint US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council were shocked to find themselves on the receiving end of Tehran’s violent retaliation.
They had neither been involved in the surprise attacks, nor even consulted about them. Yet by March 1, all six GCC states had come under attack.
As a report on Wednesday by the Washington-based Stimson Center put it: “The US-Israel-Iran conflict, now in its fourth week, has unfolded into a nightmarish and escalating war that no Gulf Cooperation Council member sought.”
Worse, it quickly became clear that Iran’s barrage was being targeted predominantly at civilian infrastructure — not at the US bases Iran claimed were its primary objectives.
On day one, missiles or debris from intercepted Iranian weapons struck Dubai airport, the city’s iconic Burj Al-Arab hotel, Jebel Ali port and the Palm Jumeirah manmade island.
