Iran presses Gulf strikes as drone, missile attacks hit region in second week of war

Gulf nations reported fresh missile and drone attacks on Sunday as Iran vowed to continue strikes against regional targets, pushing the week-old conflict deeper into the Middle East.

Kuwait said its defense forces were responding to “a wave of hostile drones” that entered the country’s airspace. According to the defense ministry, the drones targeted critical infrastructure, including fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport.

The state-run Kuwait News Agency reported that the fuel storage facility at the airport had been directly targeted, citing a statement from the Public Authority for Civil Aviation.

In Saudi Arabia, the defense ministry said 21 drones were intercepted and destroyed within four hours. Spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said 13 drones were shot down east of the capital Riyadh, while eight more were intercepted shortly after entering Saudi airspace.

Qatar said it had been targeted a day earlier by 10 ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles fired from Iran, most of which were intercepted without causing casualties.

Explosions were reported late Saturday in Dubai, Doha and Manama, as attacks were reported across United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Kuwait’s national oil company said it had made a “precautionary” reduction in crude production amid the escalating security situation.

The renewed strikes came despite an earlier apology from Iran’s president, who had said Gulf countries would no longer be targeted unless attacks against Iran originated from their territory. Hours later, Iranian officials said operations would continue against sites in Gulf states “at the disposal of the enemy.”

In a rare televised address, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the country was in “a period of war” but would emerge stronger. Authorities in Dubai said one person — a Pakistani national — was killed after debris from an aerial interception fell in the city.

Dubai airport disruption

Earlier Sunday, authorities temporarily closed Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub for international passengers, after an unidentified object was intercepted nearby.

Officials said a “minor incident” occurred due to falling debris after the interception but reported no injuries. Flight tracking service Flightradar24 showed aircraft circling the airport before operations resumed.

Emirates airline initially announced it was suspending flights to and from Dubai but later said services had resumed.

The UAE, a key ally of the United States and host to American military bases, has been among the most heavily targeted countries since the conflict began last week.

The UAE defense ministry said that of 16 ballistic missiles launched toward the country on Saturday, all but one were intercepted, with the remaining missile falling into the sea. Of 121 drones detected, 119 were destroyed while two fell inside Emirati territory.

Since the start of the war, the UAE says it has detected 221 ballistic missiles and more than 1,300 drones.

Earlier in the week, attacks damaged facilities including Abu Dhabi International Airport, the Palm Jumeirah development and the Burj Al Arab hotel, while drone debris sparked a fire at the United States Consulate General Dubai.

Relentless regional threats

Elsewhere, Qatar said its forces intercepted two additional missile attacks on Saturday.

Kuwait said it had shot down seven drones since dawn on Saturday, reporting only limited damage caused by falling debris.

Bahrain said it had intercepted 92 missiles and 151 drones since the start of what it called “brutal Iranian aggression.” An explosion was heard in Manama late Saturday, with authorities saying one person was injured by rocket shrapnel.

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry also said it destroyed three ballistic missiles headed toward Prince Sultan Air Base — which hosts US troops — and intercepted 17 drones near the Shaybah oil field in the country’s southeast.

Meanwhile, Jordan accused Iran of directly targeting locations in the kingdom. Military spokesman Mustafa Hayari said 119 Iranian missiles and drones had been fired toward the country in the past week.

“These missiles and drones were targeting vital installations inside Jordan and were not simply passing through our territory,” he said.