Iranian strikes spread across Gulf as US air campaign enters sixth night
Iran said it targeted US facilities across the region as Gulf states and nearby countries reported interceptions, alerts and debris from strikes.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Iran launched missiles and drones toward several Gulf and regional countries overnight as the United States continued a sixth night of attacks on Iran, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The exchanges widened the conflict around US bases in the region and added pressure on efforts to revive talks between Washington and Tehran.
Al Jazeera reported Friday that Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, along with Jordan and Syria, took defensive action against Iranian missiles and drones. Tehran has said its strikes were aimed at US facilities, arguing that Washington has used regional bases to attack Iran.
The US air campaign has hit civilian infrastructure in southern Iran, including telecommunications networks, railway systems and the Bandar-e Khamir bridge in Hormozgan province, according to Al Jazeera. Local media reported Thursday night that at least seven people were killed at the bridge.
Alerts in Qatar and claims across the region
In Qatar, which hosts major US military facilities, authorities raised the security threat level after loud explosions were heard in parts of Doha early Friday, Al Jazeera reported. Sirens sounded and residents received phone alerts before the threat level was later returned to normal after officials cleared the danger.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said Friday that a child injured by falling shrapnel during the attack was receiving medical care. Qatar had earlier rejected Israeli reports that it planned to join military action against Iran.
Iran’s army said it targeted US helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft at Sakhir airbase in Bahrain, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck US monitoring assets in Oman, including what it described as an air control radar in the northern Ghanim region and a maritime surveillance radar on rocks in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC also said it attacked a US military base in Kuwait early Friday, targeting a missile defence radar, weapons depots and two HIMARS surface-to-surface missile launchers. In northern Iraq, Kurdish counterterrorism forces said US coalition forces shot down eight explosive drones over Erbil, according to the Iraqi News Agency, which reported no casualties.
Jordan’s army said its air defence systems intercepted three Iranian missiles that crossed its airspace Friday morning. The army reported no casualties and said engineering teams handled debris from the interceptions.
The IRGC claimed it struck a US special operations command centre at al-Tanf military base in Syria, Tasnim reported. The group also said the Strait of Hormuz remained under the control of the IRGC Navy, according to Al Jazeera.
Diplomatic push resumes
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called Friday for an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue, according to Al Jazeera. Both countries have sought to mediate in the conflict, which reignited around the Strait of Hormuz after a preliminary deal last month.
Wang described that agreement as hard-won and warned against losing the progress already made, Al Jazeera reported. AFP reported that Iran says 38 people have been killed and more than 400 injured in US attacks since Washington and Tehran met in Switzerland on June 22 for talks aimed at ending the war through a 60-day negotiating period.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.