TOPSHOT – An incoming projectile explodes over water in the northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa Bay on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, Israel’s public broadcaster reported. Gulf States and Israel. (Jala Mere/AFP Photo via Getty Images)
Jal Mare | Afp | Getty Images
Explosions were heard across the Middle East on Saturday after the US and Israel launched a “broad and joint operation” in Iran, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israeli and US bases across the Gulf.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates confirmed they had intercepted missiles from Iran, each home to a US base.
In the UAE, the Ministry of Defense announced that “the country came under heavy attack today by Iranian ballistic missiles, which were dealt with by the UAE Air Defense with great efficiency and a number of missiles were successfully intercepted.”
A CNBC team in the United Arab Emirates confirmed hearing several large explosions in both the UAE capitals of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense released a statement saying, “The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation of Iran’s targeting of Qatari territory with ballistic missiles, which is a clear violation of its national sovereignty, a direct violation of its security and territorial integrity, and a threat to the security and stability of the region.”
Bahrain, home to US Central Command, confirmed through its news agency that “a service facility associated with the Fifth Fleet came under missile attack.”
Saudi Arabia, which has not been targeted by Iran, released a statement condemning and condemning Iran’s attacks as “a violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.” The Empire affirmed its “readiness to place all its forces at their disposal in support of any measures they may undertake”.
US embassies across the region have instructed staff and Americans in the countries to shelter in place (ie, take cover) until further notice.
US President Donald Trump said in a statement on Satya Samaj on Saturday, “The United States military has begun major combat operations in Iran. Our mission is to protect the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a very tough, terrible group of people.”
Airspace closure and impact on flight
The UAE has confirmed the temporary closure of its airspace as an “extraordinary precautionary measure” and flights have already been diverted around the major aviation hub of Dubai.
According to Dubai’s main long-haul carrier Emirates, “the closure of regional airspace has disrupted several Emirates flights.”
Air Arabia, another UAE carrier based out of Sharjah, told CNBC, “Due to the evolving situation and airspace closures, our flights to Iran, Iraq and other parts of the region on February 28 have been canceled. Several other flights may be delayed or rerouted.”
Qatar Airways also confirmed it had “temporarily suspended its flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace”.
(tags to translate)Saudi Arabia
