As Western media focused on the hostilities between the U.S.-Israeli alliance and Iran, much attention was given in the Arab world to Tehran’s strikes on seven of its regional neighbors: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan.
Iran struck U.S. bases and other targets in those countries after Israel and the United States launched a joint military operation, dubbed “Roaring Lion” by Israel and “Epic Fury” by the United States.
As the Israeli and U.S. air forces pummeled Iran, killing its spiritual leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials, the regime has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. forces. On Sunday, only one fatality was reported in strikes outside Israel, in the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia, the owner of the Persian Gulf’s largest and most advanced army and its richest nation, with a gross domestic product of more than $1 trillion, was perhaps the most powerful regional actor targeted besides Israel.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry on Saturday confirmed its territory had been targeted and condemned “in the strongest terms the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks that targeted the Riyadh Region and the Eastern Province, which were successfully intercepted,” adding that Riyadh will “take all necessary measures to defend” against Iran.
Other regional targets included the al-Udeid airbase in Qatar, the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait, the al-Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. base in Erbil, Iraq, as well as the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan and the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, The Guardian reported.
In Dubai, at least one person was killed by an Iranian strike or debris from it, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
In Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital city, debris from an intercepted drone damaged the façade of one of the buildings at Etihad Towers, the city government said. “The incident resulted in minor injuries to a woman and her child, as well as minor material damage,” they said on Sunday.
On Saturday, a sudden explosion and massive fire rocked the entrance of the luxury Fairmont The Palm hotel on Palm Jumeirah artificial island in Dubai, situated about 70 miles northeast of the capital. Missile intercepts were visible in the sky before and during the impact, Reuters reported.
The UAE government, which has also condemned the Iranian strikes, issued a rare emergency warning to all residents on March 1 against visiting shopping centers and congregating in large numbers.
In Bahrain, missiles or drones hit an apartment block in Bahrain and, reportedly, a military facility. An airport terminal was hit in Kuwait, according to The Guardian.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the kingdom would continue to take “all available and necessary measures” to safeguard the safety of its citizens and protect the country’s security and sovereignty, as it expressed “absolute solidarity” with the affected Gulf states.
Iraq has historically tried to balance relations with both Tehran and Washington, avoiding direct involvement in wider Arab-Israeli wars, including those directly involving the United States, while also managing powerful pro-Iranian militia influence internally. Iraqi officials have not commented publicly on reports that Iran has fired on their country’s territory.
