More explosions have been heard in the Gulf states as Iran carries out attacks in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top officials.
Explosions were heard for a second day on Sunday morning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Bahrain’s capital, Manama; and Qatar’s capital, Doha, raising fears of broader conflict in a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in an otherwise turbulent Middle East.
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Witnesses in Doha reported hearing several loud bangs and seeing thick black smoke rising on the clear morning horizon in the south of the city.
Shortly after, another wave of explosions rang through Dubai, a regional commercial hub. Clouds of white smoke from missile interceptions were seen in the skies over the city, while clouds of dark smoke rose over its port of Jebel Ali, one of the busiest in the Middle East.
Explosions were also reported in Manama, with witnesses reporting at least four loud explosions. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from Sunday’s explosions.
The explosions came after a day of similar Iranian attacks on US military bases and other assets across the Gulf except Oman, which was mediating nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
The oil- and gas-rich Arab states, which lie just across the Gulf from Iran, collectively host thousands of American troops.
On Saturday, Iran fired 137 missiles and 209 drones in the United Arab Emirates, the country’s Defense Ministry said, with fires and smoke reaching the landmarks of Dubai, Palm Jumeirah and Burj al-Arab.
At Abu Dhabi airport, at least one person was killed and seven others were injured during what facility authorities called an “incident.” Dubai airport, the busiest international airport in the world, and Kuwait airport were also affected.
Meanwhile, Qatari officials said Iran launched 65 missiles and 12 drones toward the Gulf state on Saturday, most of which were intercepted, but 16 people were injured in the attacks.
Elsewhere in the region, Jordanian defense systems intercepted missiles that entered the airspace of the capital, Amman, as well as northern areas of the country, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Sirens were also heard in Kuwait, the network reported.
In northern Iraq, a drone crashed near Erbil International Airport, according to local media reports, raising a large plume of smoke. The United States reportedly still has troops in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq as part of an international coalition against ISIL (ISIS).
‘A great crime’
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has denounced Khamenei’s assassination “as a great crime.” The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Abdul Rahim Mousavi, was also killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised speech on Sunday that “you (the United States and Israel) have crossed our red line and must pay the price.” “We will strike such devastating blows that you yourselves will be forced to beg,” he said.
Trump said the United States will attack Iran “with force never seen before” if the Middle Eastern nation responds for the assassination of Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years.
“Iran just declared that it is going to take a very hard hit today, harder than ever before,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “HOWEVER, YOU BETTER NOT DO THAT, BECAUSE IF YOU DO, WE WILL HIT YOU WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
More than 200 dead in Iran
Israel’s military said early Sunday that it had struck more than 30 targets in strikes against western and central Iran, and announced that strikes would continue against Iranian air defense facilities, missile sites, military barracks and other “regime targets.”
Since Saturday, at least 201 people have been killed in Iran, including at least 148 people in an attack on a girls’ primary school in the southern city of Minab.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it was carrying out retaliatory attacks against 27 US bases, the Israeli Tel Nof air base, the Israeli army command headquarters at HaKirya in Tel Aviv and a large defense industrial complex in the city.
Shortly after 6 a.m. local time (03:00 GMT), air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Israel, including Tel Aviv, after a series of explosions were heard.
The Iranian government has announced the formation of a three-person interim council to oversee the transition following the death of its supreme leader, as his supporters take to the streets of Tehran and other cities in mourning.
Pezeshkian also declared seven days of public holidays in addition to the 40 days of mourning announced by the government.
