Middle East War Day 16: UAE and other Gulf countries report fresh attacks; Kuwait airport attack
Loud explosions were heard in parts of Dubai on Sunday, while Iran claimed it attacked the UAE’s Al-Dhafra airbase. Meanwhile, several drones attacked Kuwait It damaged the international airport and its radar systems, according to AFP, although officials said no one was injured.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it fired 10 missiles and an unknown number of drones at US forces stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, Al Jazeera reported.Earlier, the UAE Defense Ministry also said its air defense systems were “responding to missile and drone threats coming from Iran.” The ministry said the loud noises heard in some parts of the country were caused by interception by air defense systems.The development came a day after Iran warned that “ports, docks and US bases” in the UAE could be targeted and urged residents to evacuate those areas.Tehran justified the attack and claimed that the United States had used ports, docks and bases in the UAE to launch an attack on Kharg Island, which hosts the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports. According to AFP, Iran has fired more than 1,800 missiles and drones at the emirate during the conflict, making it the country most targeted by Tehran in the current tensions.The attacks have raised concerns about security across the Gulf, which for decades has been considered relatively stable in the volatile Middle East. Several Middle Eastern countries have been directly affected by the US–Israel–Iran war, which began on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran and assassinated its supreme leader. In recent days, Lebanon saw Israeli attacks on Hezbollah areas, Qatar reported explosions near US infrastructure in Doha, and Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery was set on fire by drones.
