DUBAI — Iran hit a range of civilian and commercial areas across Gulf cities, widening the conflict’s impact on key regional aviation and trade hubs as the US-Israeli strikes on the country continued for a third day on Monday. Loud explosions were heard in the UAE city of Dubai and the Qatari capital Doha for a third consecutive day of Iranian retaliatory strikes in response to ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel. Loud bangs and sirens were also heard in Kuwait early on Monday morning, with a witness quoted by Reuters news agency saying smoke was seen rising from near the US embassy. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted the majority of the drones near Rumaithiya and Salwa neighborhoods, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported, quoting the director general of civil defense. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said it activated air raid alerts and urged residents to head to the nearest safe place. It said the Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Bridge linking the capital, Manama, to nearby towns was closed and urged “residents to use main roads only when necessary”. At least one person has been killed in Kuwait, three have been killed in the UAE, and 16 people have been injured in Qatar. Meanwhile, at least 201 people have been killed in Iran in US-Israeli attacks, with 747 wounded, while at least nine have been killed and 121 wounded in Israel. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Iranian attacks across the region and affirming their right to self-defense. Gulf countries “will take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression”, the statement released after a meeting said. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday stressed that Tehran is not seeking confrontation with its Gulf neighbors, telling Al Jazeera that Tehran has “no problem with the countries on the other side of the Persian Gulf”, referring to the Gulf, which is also known as the Arabian Gulf. Iran maintains “friendly and good neighbourly relations with all of them”, which it is determined to continue, he added. “What we are doing is in fact an act of self-defence and retaliation to the American aggression against us,” Araghchi said. Sounds of explosions also were heard in different parts of the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday morning, according to state media. Iran’s state media said on Monday morning that a new wave of missiles is being launched from central parts of Iran towards “enemy locations”. Shortly after 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) air raid sirens were triggered across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, warning of a fresh Iranian attack. Global air travel was also heavily disrupted as continued air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports closed, including Dubai — the world’s busiest international hub — in one of the biggest aviation interruptions in recent years. Asian airline shares plunged on Monday, with some major carriers down more than 5%. — AgenciesDUBAI — Iran hit a range of civilian and commercial areas across Gulf cities, widening the conflict’s impact on key regional aviation and trade hubs as the US-Israeli strikes on the country continued for a third day on Monday. Loud explosions were heard in the UAE city of Dubai and the Qatari capital Doha for a third consecutive day of Iranian retaliatory strikes in response to ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel. Loud bangs and sirens were also heard in Kuwait early on Monday morning, with a witness quoted by Reuters news agency saying smoke was seen rising from near the US embassy. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted the majority of the drones near Rumaithiya and Salwa neighborhoods, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported, quoting the director general of civil defense. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said it activated air raid alerts and urged residents to head to the nearest safe place. It said the Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Bridge linking the capital, Manama, to nearby towns was closed and urged “residents to use main roads only when necessary”. At least one person has been killed in Kuwait, three have been killed in the UAE, and 16 people have been injured in Qatar. Meanwhile, at least 201 people have been killed in Iran in US-Israeli attacks, with 747 wounded, while at least nine have been killed and 121 wounded in Israel. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Iranian attacks across the region and affirming their right to self-defense. Gulf countries “will take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression”, the statement released after a meeting said. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday stressed that Tehran is not seeking confrontation with its Gulf neighbors, telling Al Jazeera that Tehran has “no problem with the countries on the other side of the Persian Gulf”, referring to the Gulf, which is also known as the Arabian Gulf. Iran maintains “friendly and good neighbourly relations with all of them”, which it is determined to continue, he added. “What we are doing is in fact an act of self-defence and retaliation to the American aggression against us,” Araghchi said. Sounds of explosions also were heard in different parts of the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday morning, according to state media. Iran’s state media said on Monday morning that a new wave of missiles is being launched from central parts of Iran towards “enemy locations”. Shortly after 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) air raid sirens were triggered across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, warning of a fresh Iranian attack. Global air travel was also heavily disrupted as continued air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports closed, including Dubai — the world’s busiest international hub — in one of the biggest aviation interruptions in recent years. Asian airline shares plunged on Monday, with some major carriers down more than 5%. — Agencies
