Manama: An overnight drone strike blamed on Iran injured 32 people in Bahrain’s Sitra island, authorities said on Monday, as several Gulf nations reported new missile and drone attacks amid rising regional tensions.
According to Bahrain’s health ministry, all the injured were Bahraini citizens, with four listed in serious condition. The victims included a 17-year-old girl who suffered severe head and eye injuries and a two-month-old infant.
The incident occurred as Iran continued retaliatory operations across the Gulf following recent military actions against the country.
Explosions were also heard in the Qatari capital Doha, according to journalists on the ground. Authorities in Qatar said their air defence systems intercepted a missile during the latest attack.
Several Gulf states reported similar incidents. The defence ministry in Saudi Arabia said two waves of drones heading toward the Shaybah oil field in the southeast were intercepted and destroyed.
In the United Arab Emirates, officials confirmed that air defence systems were activated in response to what they described as a missile threat. Meanwhile, authorities in Kuwait said the country’s defences were working to counter another round of missile and drone attacks following strikes reported a day earlier.
The United States also announced precautionary measures in the region. The U.S. Department of State said it had ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia due to growing security risks.
Officials confirmed that drones struck the US embassy in Riyadh last week, while other diplomatic facilities in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also sustained damage during recent attacks.
The escalation follows a large-scale air campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Tehran could retaliate against neighbouring countries if their territories were used for military operations against the Islamic Republic.