UPDATE - US-linked sites targeted in Bahrain as Iran says it struck bases across Gulf

UPDATES WITH NEW DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK

By Tarek Chouiref

ISTANBUL (AA) – Tensions spread across the Gulf on Saturday as missiles targeted US-linked facilities and several countries reported interceptions, following Israel’s attack on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory actions.

In Bahrain, missiles struck a service center affiliated with the US Fifth Fleet, according to the National Contact Center, which said further details would be provided and urged residents to follow official instructions.

Smoke was seen rising in the Juffair area, which hosts a US naval base.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that four major US bases in the region were subjected to intensive missile attacks by the Revolutionary Guards, targeting facilities in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

In Qatar, the Defense Ministry said it successfully intercepted several missiles targeting the country, adding that all were shot down before reaching Qatari territory.

In the United Arab Emirates, the Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles, but debris fell in a residential area in Abu Dhabi, causing material damage and the death of an Asian national. The country also announced a temporary and partial closure of its airspace as a precautionary measure.

The Jordanian army said it shot down two ballistic missiles targeting its territory, adding that sirens sounded in several areas and aircraft were conducting aerial patrols to safeguard the kingdom’s airspace.

Kuwait and Syria also announced temporary airspace closures as a precautionary measure.

Israel launched a “preemptive” attack against Iran early Saturday under the name “Lion’s Roar,” declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country.

US President Donald Trump later said his forces launched “major combat operations” in Iran aimed at “protecting the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”

The attacks come as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman’s mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended on Thursday.

Last June, the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.