Blasts hit Dubai, Doha, and Manama amid reported Iranian attacks on US assets

Multiple explosions were reported across several Gulf states on Sunday morning, following a day of retaliatory attacks by Iran against US assets in the region. The attacks, which began on Saturday, have raised concerns about the potential for a wider conflict.

Iran’s military launched strikes on US military bases and other assets across the Gulf, with fires and smoke reported at Dubai landmarks such as Palm Jumeirah and Burj al-Arab. In addition, Iran fired 137 missiles and 209 drones towards the United Arab Emirates, with some of them intercepted by Jordanian defense systems.

The attacks also targeted Kuwait’s airport, where one person was killed and seven others wounded in an incident at Abu Dhabi’s airport. Qatari officials reported that 16 people were injured in Iranian drone strikes on Saturday.

In response to the attacks, US President Donald Trump stated that the US would hit Iran with a force “that has never been seen before” if Iran retaliated over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced Khamenei’s killing as a great crime.

Iran’s armed forces’ chief of staff, Abdul Rahim Mousavi, was also killed in the joint US-Israeli attacks. Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned that “you [US and Israel] have crossed our red line and must pay the price”.

Israel’s military reported striking over 30 targets in western and central Iran, with continued strikes planned against Iranian air defense installations, missile sites, military headquarters, and other “regime targets”. The situation remains fluid, with ongoing reports of explosions and damage across the region.

Source: Al Jazeera