DOHA: Several loud explosions were heard in the Dubai area and over the Qatari capital Doha for a second consecutive day on Sunday, witnesses said, after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Gulf states in response to US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iran has repeatedly said it would target US bases in the region. Following the latest US and Israeli strikes, Tehran widened its response, launching attacks across the Middle East and targeting Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait — locations hosting US military bases or allied with Washington.
Explosions were also reported in United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with residents describing scenes of panic as air defence systems were activated.
Bahrain said the service centre of the United States Fifth Fleet had been subjected to a missile attack. Video footage shared by witnesses in the island state showed a thick grey plume of smoke rising near the coastline as sirens wailed across the capital.
At least half a dozen witnesses, including Reuters correspondents, reported hearing loud booms in various parts of Abu Dhabi, a major oil producer and close US ally. One resident said five explosions occurred in rapid succession, causing windows in a house near Abu Dhabi’s Corniche to vibrate. Others in the Al Dhafra and Al Bateen areas also reported powerful blasts.
Qatar said its air defence systems had intercepted all missiles targeting the country, according to the state news agency. A Qatari official told AFP that an Iranian missile was downed as warning sirens echoed across the Gulf state.
The latest escalation follows a 12-day air war between Israel and Iran in June, triggered by repeated US-Israeli warnings that further strikes would follow if Tehran advanced its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The US and Iran resumed negotiations in February in an effort to resolve the long-running dispute through diplomacy and prevent a broader military confrontation that could destabilise the region.
Israel has maintained that any potential US deal with Iran must include the dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, rather than merely halting uranium enrichment, and has pressed Washington to impose restrictions on Iran’s missile programme as part of any agreement.
Iran, for its part, has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes.