Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched its first large-scale wave of retaliatory missile and drone attacks toward Israeli territory, describing the barrage as the beginning of a sustained response to the joint offensive by the United States and Israel.
The announcement came as the conflict showed signs of spreading across the Gulf. Bahrain said a missile attack had targeted the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in the country, while a separate missile was intercepted in neighbouring Qatar, according to international media reports.
An explosion was also reported in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, as several countries across the region temporarily shut their airspace amid heightened security concerns.
Authorities in Bahrain said the strike was aimed at facilities linked to the US Fifth Fleet, a key formation tasked with protecting commercial shipping lanes in the Gulf. Air defence systems were activated across Qatar following the interception, while security alerts were raised in Abu Dhabi and other strategic hubs.
The developments followed a sharp escalation in hostilities after US President Donald Trump announced that “major combat operations” had begun against Iran, hours after Israel confirmed it had launched missile strikes on Iranian targets.
Multiple explosions were heard in Tehran, with additional blasts reported in several locations across the country as air defence units engaged incoming threats. The widening exchange has raised fears that the confrontation, initially limited to direct strikes between the adversaries, is evolving into a broader regional crisis involving Gulf states that host Western military assets.
There was no immediate detailed official reaction from Tehran, though state media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian was “safe and sound.”
Regional governments have since tightened security around ports, energy facilities and transport networks, amid concerns that further retaliation could disrupt vital shipping corridors and draw additional countries into the conflict. Analysts warn that attacks linked to Gulf-based installations mark a significant expansion of the battlefield, increasing the risk of prolonged instability across one of the world’s most strategically important regions.
