Manama (TDI): Iranian forces launched overnight drone and missile strikes across the Persian Gulf on Thursday, targeting the Israeli embassy in Bahrain’s capital Manama.
Iran’s Fars News Agency confirmed that the Manama strikes were aimed at the Financial Harbor Towers complex, which houses the Israeli embassy. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said three locations were hit, two hotels and a residential building: causing material damage but no reported casualties.
A Bahrain spokesperson said an Iranian drone was intercepted and destroyed near the embassy complex before reaching its target. In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Defense announced that it had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile east of the al-Kharj governorate.
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense also confirmed its air defense systems had intercepted a drone attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base.
The strikes are part of an escalating conflict that began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched coordinated attacks on Iran: codenamed Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury, targeting key Iranian facilities.
Read More: UAE Closes Embassy in Tehran, Withdraws Ambassador in Protest of Iranian Attacks
The strikes caused the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, an act that sent shockwaves through the region and triggered an immediate Iranian response.
Tehran launched Operation True Promise IV within hours; dozens of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at Israel and US military installations in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran also moved to close the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, sending energy markets into turmoil. Hezbollah in Lebanon joined the fighting in the days that followed.
The United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE issued a joint statement on Thursday strongly condemning Iran’s “indiscriminate and reckless” attacks against sovereign territories, calling them a dangerous escalation that threatens regional stability and violates international law.
US officials said air defense systems, operated jointly with Gulf states, successfully intercepted drones and missiles launched in Thursday’s wave of attacks. No American casualties were reported.
