Iran launches retaliatory strikes across Middle East, dozens dead

ISTANBUL

Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes over the weekend against eight countries across the Middle East, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, as a second day of explosions shook the region following joint US-Israeli military operations against Tehran.

So far, Iranian strikes have hit Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Inside Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent reported at least 201 people killed and 747 injured from US-Israeli attacks that began Saturday.

In Israel, nine Israelis were killed in an Iranian missile strike that directly hit a building in Beit Shemesh in west Jerusalem on Sunday.

The US also reported casualties, with US Central Command confirming three service members killed and five “seriously wounded” since the start of attacks against Iran.

The strikes took a toll across the Gulf. The United Arab Emirates reported that three people from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh were killed, while 58 people of different nationalities were injured in Iranian missile and drone strikes following a US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Kuwait’s Health Ministry also said that one person was killed and 32 others were injured amid the current regional escalation.

In Qatar, the number of injuries rose to 16 following retaliatory strikes by Iran, officials announced.

Iraq reported two dead and three wounded in a strike on the Jurf al-Nasr area of Babil province.

In Bahrain, an Iranian drone struck Bahrain International Airport, causing material damage but no casualties, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior reported.

In the capital, Manama, a separate kamikaze drone hit a building on Al-Ma'arid Street. Images circulating on social media showed smoke rising from the site, though authorities have not yet released information on potential injuries or fatalities.

In Oman, five people were injured in two separate incidents — four aboard a Palau-flagged oil tanker struck north of Khasab Port, and one foreign worker hurt in a drone attack on Duqm Port.

No casualties were reported in Jordan or Saudi Arabia.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, killing several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with a series of drone and missile attacks that targeted Israel, US assets and several Gulf countries.

This came after an earlier wave of attacks by Tel Aviv and Washington in June last year, triggering a 12-day war before a ceasefire was announced.