Iran widens war with missile barrage across Gulf

One person has been killed in the United Arab Emirates after missiles fired by Iran struck multiple Arab states in what Riyadh called a blatant escalation of hostilities.

State media in Abu Dhabi said air defences intercepted a number of incoming missiles on Saturday, but debris fell in the capital, killing one civilian.

Iran’s attack extended well beyond the UAE. Projectiles were launched at Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan in addition to strikes against Israel, marking a dramatic widening of the regional conflict.

Doha’s authorities said they had destroyed all incoming projectiles, while Jordan’s air defence forces intercepted missiles over the kingdom’s territory.

A centre housing the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was also hit, and Gulf capitals sounded alarms as explosions echoed across the region.

Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes, accusing Tehran of overstepping international norms. “The kingdom strongly condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the brutal Iranian aggression and the blatant violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” the Saudi statement said.

The assaults follow exchanges of fire after recent strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets, raising fears that what began as a localized confrontation could spiral into a broader regional war.