In a dramatic escalation, Iran finds itself increasingly isolated following a barrage of missile strikes across nearly a dozen neighboring countries. These attacks targeted civilian areas, drawing swift backlash from Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia at the forefront of the condemnation.
Saudi Arabia issued a stern warning about “grave consequences” for what it described as “treacherous Iranian aggression.” Iran’s drone assaults ignited fires in various locations, including the Fairmont The Palm in Dubai and a residential complex in Bahrain.
On Saturday, explosions were also reported in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Describing Iran’s actions as a “blatant violation of the sovereignty” of several nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed full solidarity with these countries in a statement shared on X.
The backdrop to these events includes Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Syria, all reeling from “Operation Epic Fury,” a joint undertaking by the United States and Israel.
Iran’s aerial offensive resulted in at least five fatalities, although many of its ballistic missiles were successfully intercepted by the Arab states.
Saudi air defenses intercepted other projectiles fired toward its capital, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansi.
The international community must condemn Iran’s attacks and “confront Iranian violations that undermine the security and stability of the region,” Saudia Arabia proclaimed in its statement.
The United Arab Emirates was hit with at least three waves of ballistic missile and drone attacks — including at the Fairmont, a ritzy, five-star hotel on the man-made luxury island Palm Jumeirah — where one worker was killed. The rich gulf nation was left incensed by the attack, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The agency said it was at “full readiness and preparedness to deal with any threats” and further stated it would take “all necessary measures to protect its territory and people,” according to a post on X.
Qatar, where bombs fell down on civilian neighborhoods, also joined in the chorus of condemnation — calling the attack “a flagrant violation of its national sovereignty,” and “a direct infringement on its security and territorial integrity,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on X.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the State of Qatar reserves its full right to respond to this attack in accordance with provisions of international law and in a manner proportionate to the nature of the aggression, in defense of its sovereignty and in the protection of its security and national interests,” the agency stated.
Jordan was also targeted by Iran in the barrage of attacks.
That nation’s King Abduallah II condemned Iran’s response as a violation of international law, The Royal Hashemite Court made clear in a series of posts to X.
Lebanon, which was not struck by Iran, nevertheless also criticized Iran’s offensive.
“Lebanon affirms its full solidarity with these fellow Arab States and firmly rejects any violation of their sovereignty, any threat to their security, or any action undermining their stability,” the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a post to X.
The southern Gulf Coast nation Oman, which was also not targeted, was one of the only nations in the region to condemn the US and Israel, claiming the military operation could lead to an expanding conflict “that cannot be rectified in the region,” the foreign ministry said on X.
