As the United States and Israel began a coordinated military offensive against Iran early Saturday, Tehran acted swiftly on its promise to hit back, targeting U.S. interests across the Middle East in a wide-ranging retaliation that risks a broader regional conflict.
Iran’s semiofficial news agency Fars reported that Iranian missile attacks had targeted U.S. military facilities including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Jordan’s state-run news agency also reported that the country’s military had intercepted two ballistic missiles that entered its airspace, though it did not say where the missiles were launched from.
The Emirati defense ministry said that it had successfully intercepted several missiles launched from Iran but that missile debris had landed in a residential neighborhood in Abu Dhabi, killing one person and damaging property.
Qatar’s defense ministry also said that it had intercepted at least two waves of missile attacks. In a statement, the Qatari interior ministry said that no casualties or property damage had been reported in residential areas.
Saudi Arabia condemned the “brutal Iranian aggression” on its fellow Arab states, saying it was a “blatant violation” of their sovereignty.
“Saudi Arabia affirms its full solidarity and support for these brotherly nations,” the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on social media, and pledged to assist them.
Sirens blared across Israel in the hours after it launched attacks on Iran. The Israeli news media reported Iranian missile strikes in Tirat Carmel, in the Haifa District, where a large fragment hit a residential building, causing structural damage and injuring one resident.
In Umm al-Fahm and another community in northern Israel, minor injuries were reported. Debris and impact sites were also located in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Kafr Manda, Kafr Harif and southern areas of Israel.
No casualties have so far been reported in Israel, apart from those injured while making their way to shelters, Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said in a post on social media.
The strikes on Saturday led to airspace closures around the region.
Qatar Airways and Emirates announced that they were temporarily suspending flights to and from their hubs in Doha and Dubai, respectively.
Syria’s civil aviation authority said it would close the country’s southern air corridors for 12 hours starting at noon local time, with air traffic redirected along approved alternative routes, according to a statement.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.
Abdi Latif Dahir is a Middle East correspondent for The Times, covering Lebanon and Syria. He is based in Beirut.
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