Blasts in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, sirens in Tel Aviv as Iran strikes continue
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Mar 2, 2026: Air raid sirens were sounded in Tel Aviv, and blasts echoed across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Manama on Monday, minutes after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported a fresh wave of missile attacks by Iran. Since the start of the US-Israel campaign on Saturday - which killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top leaders - explosions have become a constant presence in the Qatari and Bahraini capitals as well as in the UAE’s most populous cities.
As Tehran’s strikes entered their third day, several missiles were intercepted over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In Iraq, an AFP photographer witnessed air defence systems intercepting at least two drones near Erbil airport. Drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Erbil, which hosts the US-led coalition troops and is also home to a major US consulate complex. IN Kuwait, columns of smoke were seen rising from the American embassy.
The oil-and-gas-rich Gulf neighbours of Iran - which host a clutch of US military bases - have seen significant damage to civilian infrastructure From airports and seaports to residential buildings and hotels, the impact has been widespread. Live updates here.
On Sunday, drones struck the airport in Bahrain’s capital Manama, causing minor damage.
In the UAE, which has borne the brunt of the attacks, debris from intercepted drones injured two people in Dubai’s residential areas. On Saturday, the Iranian attacks sparked fires at landmarks such as The Palm seafront development and Burj Al Arab hotel.
At the airport in Abu Dhabi, at least one person was killed, and seven were wounded during what authorities called an "incident", and another died earlier in the day from falling debris.
Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, and Kuwait’s airport were also hit, causing one of the most significant global disruptions in recent years.
In Saudi Arabia, Iranian missiles targeting Riyadh’s international airport and the Prince Sultan Airbase, which houses US military personnel, were intercepted.
In Qatar, host of the region’s biggest US military base, officials said Iran had launched 65 missiles and 12 drones, most of which were intercepted, but eight people were injured, with one in critical condition.
In Oman, which helped mediate US-Iran talks and was the only Gulf state spared on the first day of the Iranian campaign, the port of Duqm was targeted by two drones.
The Diplomatic Fallout
The United States and its Arab allies have issued a stern condemnation: "The targeting of civilians and of countries not engaged in hostilities is reckless and destabilising behaviour," the US State Department said in a joint statement with Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
On Sunday, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - which comprises the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait - convened to formulate a unified response against Iranian attacks. The council called for the "immediate cessation of these attacks", adding that the stability of the "Gulf region is not merely a regional concern but a fundamental pillar of global economic stability".
In the strongest diplomatic move yet, the UAE on Sunday closed its embassy in Tehran and recalled the Emirati ambassador.
Political Instability In Tehran
Iranian leaders have said more than 200 people have died since the beginning of the strikes that killed its top leadership. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and at US military installations around the Gulf, and also at the Saudi capital and the global business hub of Dubai.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had hit three US and UK oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and attacked military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with drones and missiles.
As the American and Israeli airstrikes kept pounding the country, a top Iranian security official, Ali Larijiani, said on X, "We will not negotiate with the United States". On Sunday, Trump signalled that he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership.
Earlier Sunday, Iran selected a 66-year-old cleric to join the three-member leadership council that will govern the country until a new supreme leader is selected.
However, it’s unclear what the longer-term prospects were for Iran to rebuild its leadership and replace 86-year-old Khamenei, who had held power since the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.
Experts said that while his death and those of other Iranian leaders would deal Iran a major blow, it would not necessarily spell the end of Iran’s entrenched clerical rule or the sway of the elite Revolutionary Guards over the population.