Several Gulf Arab states said they were targeted by Iranian missiles on Saturday after Tehran pledged to retaliate against U.S. and Israeli strikes, bringing conflict to a part of the Arab world that prides itself on relative safety.
Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Jordan, all of which host a U.S. military presence, said they had intercepted Iranian missiles. Bahrain confirmed an attack inside its territory and said a service centre of the U.S. Fifth Fleet had been struck.
One person was killed in Abu Dhabi, UAE state media reported, without providing further details.
“All occupied territories and the criminal U.S. bases in the region have been struck by the powerful blows of Iranian missiles. This operation will continue relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
Loud booms were heard across Abu Dhabi, according to five witnesses including two Reuters correspondents. Some residents received a phone alert instructing them to shelter in the closest secure building and stay away from windows due to missile threats.
One witness told Reuters she heard five booms in rapid succession that caused windows in a house near Abu Dhabi’s Corniche to vibrate. Other witnesses in the Al Dhafra and Bateen areas also reported hearing loud booms.
Fighter jets could be seen flying around the Yas Island area of Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon.
Video from a Reuters witness showed a plume of grey smoke rising near Bahrain’s coast as sirens wailed.
In Qatar, the military said it had intercepted incoming Iranian missiles before they reached Qatari territory after “joint coordination.” Several successive waves of blasts were heard in the capital Doha.
After the U.S. Embassy issued a warning to take shelter, many residents initially carried on their usual activities — shoppers were in supermarkets, beachgoers headed to the seaside and a yellow double-decker tour bus filled with tourists drove through the city’s West Bay district.
Later, when the government pushed a shelter-in-place warning to mobile phones, fewer people were seen on the streets and traffic thinned.
The Kuwaiti army said it had dealt with missiles in Kuwaiti airspace, while Jordan said it had downed two Iranian ballistic missiles.
Global airlines suspended flights across the Middle East, with flight maps showing Iranian airspace virtually empty.
(Reuters)
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