Tensions in West Asia escalated Sunday as Iran launched attacks across the Gulf, targeting key infrastructure, while Israel struck Iranian military assets.
According to AFP, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait reported new attacks on Sunday after loud explosions were heard in Dubai and Bahrain’s capital, Manama, on Saturday. Iranian strikes reportedly targeted fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport and damaged a desalination plant in Bahrain.
The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait said their air defence systems were intercepting missiles and drones launched from Iran as the attacks unfolded.
In Bahrain, authorities said three people were injured, and a university building in the Muharraq area suffered material damage after missile fragments fell following what they described as Iranian aggression.
Meanwhile, a maritime incident was reported in the Strait of Hormuz after the UAE-flagged tugboat Musaffah 2 sank following an explosion that caused a fire. Indonesia’s foreign ministry stated that the vessel had seven crew members from Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. Four survived, while three others— all Indonesian nationals— were reported missing.
The conflict also intensified inside Iran. Israel’s military said its air force struck Iranian F-14 fighter jets at Isfahan airport during a large wave of airstrikes on Saturday. The Israeli military added that the operation followed another strike two days earlier that it said had destroyed 16 aircraft linked to the Quds Force at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport.
In Tehran, Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit the Shahran fuel depot in the western part of the capital, causing burning oil to spill into the sewage system and sending streams of fire along Koohsar Boulevard, according to footage shared by Iran International.