Gulf states on frontlines of Israel-US war on Iran as missiles target US bases

Iran launched missile and drone strikes across multiple Arab states hosting US military bases on Saturday, hours after coordinated US-Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.

The strikes threaten to widen the conflict to involve at least six countries across the Gulf and Levant, most of whom have long feared they would be on the front lines of any regional war.

Air defences were activated in Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia as Iranian projectiles targeted US-linked military infrastructure across the region. At least one civilian was killed in Abu Dhabi when debris from intercepted missiles struck a residential area, according to Emirati authorities.

The escalation followed large-scale unprovoked US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military and strategic targets earlier in the day, including in and around Tehran.

US President Donald Trump described the campaign as "massive and ongoing combat operations" aimed at countering Iranian threats.

Israeli officials framed it as a pre-emptive move against what they described as an existential danger, claiming, without evidence, that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran said the attacks occurred during peaceful negotiations and vowed retaliation.

Within hours, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched what state media described as the first wave of a broader response, targeting US military installations across the MENA region.

In Qatar, defence authorities said air defence systems "successfully intercepted" missiles targeting its territory and stressed that "all necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of citizens and residents". However, during a second wave of attacks, reports indicate "some billowing from Doha's western edge", indicating impact from an Iranian projectile.

The Qatari foreign ministry added that "the State of Qatar preserves the right of response after the Iranian attack".

In Bahrain, air raid sirens sounded in Manama as explosions were reported near facilities linked to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Bahraini authorities said the kingdom "strongly condemns this treacherous aggression that forms a direct threat to the kingdom and its citizens", describing the attack as a violation of its sovereignty.

Kuwait’s military said its air defences had "engaged incoming missiles" detected in its airspace as alerts were activated around US-linked sites.

Reports indicate that Iran's retaliation had caused "significant damage" to the runway of a Kuwait air base hosting Italian air force personnel, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was quoted by the ANSA news agency as saying.

Kuwait's Civil Aviation authority also said that an Iranian missile had targeted Kuwait Airport, causing minor injuries to workers and limited material damage.

"There was significant damage to the runway but no Italian personnel were injured," Tajani told reporters, explaining that Italian air force members had taken shelter in a bunker at the base

In the UAE, the Ministry of Defence said the attack constituted a "blatant violation of national sovereignty and international law" after Iran targeted parts of its territory. Explosions were reported in Abu Dhabi and Dubai as air defence systems engaged incoming missiles.

The ministry confirmed that falling debris killed at least one civilian and said the UAE "fully reserves the right to respond to this escalation".

Jordan’s armed forces said they had intercepted projectiles after missiles approached or crossed into or near Jordanian airspace, activating sirens in parts of the country.

Saudi Arabia also activated its air defence systems after Iranian missiles were reported to have been launched towards US-linked sites on Saudi territory. AFP correspondents reported loud explosions in Riyadh as the air defence systems were engaged in the Saudi capital.

The Saudi foreign ministry said the kingdom "strongly condemns Iranian attacks on UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan".

In northern Iraq, several explosions were heard near the US consulate in Erbil, according to AFP journalists on the ground.  Flights at Erbil International Airport were temporarily suspended amid the security situation and there were reports of strikes near the facility.

Iraqi authorities, who are viewed as close to Tehran and Washington, did not immediately attribute the blasts, but Iranian officials framed the strikes as justified retaliation.

In a statement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council described the earlier US–Israeli offensive as a "brutal air operation" carried out in coordination and said Iran’s armed forces would defend the country’s sovereignty.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the US-Israeli strikes a "violation of the UN Charter"  and urged Islamic countries and members of the Non-Aligned Movement to condemn the attacks, saying Iran would make the aggressors regret their actions.

A senior Iranian official was quoted as saying that "all American and Israeli assets and interests in the region have become legitimate targets", adding that there were "no red lines" in Tehran’s response.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee, told state television: "There is no red line in our response to the enemy, and we will make it regret its actions."

Mohammad Jafar Ghaem Panah, Iran’s vice president for executive affairs, wrote on X that “the treacherous attacks by America and the Zionist entity took place during the negotiations".

US embassies in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq issued security alerts and shelter-in-place advisories as airspace closures and flight diversions spread across the region.

President Trump defended the initial strikes on Iran as necessary to protect US interests and warned that attacks on American personnel would be met with an even greater response.