Defenses in the Gulf downed on Saturday 12 ballistic missiles and 50 drones fired at civilian locations and vital facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait as the US-Israeli war on Iran entered its third week.
Meanwhile, two drone attacks on the Ahmed Al-Jaber Base in Kuwait wounded three members of the armed forces and left material damage.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi defense destroyed 12 drones in the Eastern Region and one in each of the Empty Quarter and al-Jawf, said official Defense Ministry spokesman Turki Al-Malki.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates reported a new missile attack Sunday morning, a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major UAE ports, threatening for the first time a neighboring country’s non-US assets.
Tehran accused the United States of using “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports, without providing evidence, as the war showed no signs of ending.
Earlier, UAE defenses intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones fired from Iran.
The attacks have left six people dead, including Emiratis and nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. A total of 141 injuries have been reported among citizens and residents.
The Defense Ministry stressed that the armed forces were on the highest alert level to handle any threats and firmly confront anything that may harm the country’s security, in order to protect its sovereignty, stability and national interests.
The UAE strongly condemned the unprovoked terrorist drone attack that targeted the UAE Consulate General in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the second time in a week.
The attack resulted in injuries to two security personnel and damage to the consulate building.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that targeting diplomatic missions and premises constitutes a flagrant violation of international norms and laws, particularly the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which guarantees the inviolability of diplomatic premises and the protection of diplomatic personnel. Such acts represent a dangerous escalation and a threat to regional security and stability.
The UAE has called on the Iraqi government and the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to investigate the circumstances surrounding this attack, identify those responsible, and take all necessary measures to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.
The Ministry reiterated the UAE’s firm rejection of terrorist attacks aimed at undermining security and stability, emphasizing the need to protect diplomatic premises, missions, and their personnel in accordance with international laws and norms.
UAE Attorney-General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the arrest of 25 individuals of various nationalities for publishing misleading content on digital platforms that harms national defense measures and glorifies acts of military aggression against the State.
They have been referred for an expedited trial.
The move follows rigorous monitoring of digital platforms to combat the spread of fabricated information and artificial content intended to incite public disorder and undermine general stability.
Al Shamsi said that exploiting cyberspace to circulate misleading content and footage that harms public security or compromises the state’s defensive capabilities is a criminal offense. This is particularly critical given the military aggression currently faced by the state, and such behavior will be met with firm legal action.
Kuwait
Drones hit Kuwait’s international airport. The drone attack Saturday night hit the airport’s radar system, Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
Flights there have been halted since the start of the war.
Three members of the Kuwaiti army sustained minor injuries when two drones damaged the Ahmed Al-Jaber air base on Saturday, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Kuwait’s air defense system intercepted another three drones, and two drones fell outside what the ministry called “the threat area” and posed no danger.
Early in the war, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire during an Iranian attack. Kuwait is also where six US soldiers were killed in a drone strike on a command center.
Bahrain
Bahrain announced that it has intercepted 124 missiles and 203 drones since the start of the conflict.
Three rockets and 10 drones were downed on Saturday.
Authorities urged people to stay at home and that they should leave only when necessary. They must steer clear of damaged location or any suspicious objects. They are also prohibited from filming or photographing military operations or locations where debris and shrapnel have landed.
Qatar
Qatari’s Interior Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani underscored the stability and stability of the country.
The safety of anyone residing in the country is a “red line” and a “priority in every step we take,” he added during a televised interview on Friday.
