The US is facing restrictions from Arab countries for launching airstrikes from their military facilities against the Iranian axis, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Arab countries are trying to balance their support for the US in deterring Iran and its proxies, while also addressing their citizens’ anger toward Israel.
The US and its allies are being increasingly restricted from conducting retaliatory strikes from Arab countries’ soil against targets in Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea, according to a US official who spoke to Politico. The official did not specify how many countries are imposing these restrictions.
A Western official told Politico that the UAE is specifically implementing the restrictions because they want to avoid appearing overtly against Iran and too closely aligned with the West and Israel due to public opinion concerns.
The US operates from several bases in the Gulf and the region, including the Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE.
Iranian proxies threaten US bases in region
Several Iranian proxies have threatened to attack Arab states that host US military facilities.
In October, Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq, an Iran-backed militia linked to the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah militia, threatened to target bases housing American forces in Kuwait and the UAE.
The militia has claimed attacks against Gulf states in the past, including a drone attack intercepted by the UAE in February 2022. The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has also launched attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as international shipping in the region during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
