For a second consecutive day, Iran carried out coordinated drone and missile attacks across the Gulf as U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have continued. Imtiaz Tyab reports from the Gulf of Oman. Air-raid sirens sounded in parts of Israel as Tehran vowed retaliation after recent escalations. Israel said its Iron Dome system intercepted dozens of incoming projectiles but did not stop all of them.
The bombardment affected multiple countries across the Gulf region. Thick plumes of smoke were reported over Dubai and the skies above Doha, Qatar, were filled with smoke. Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman also experienced strikes. Tankers were hit just off Oman’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping lane through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil transits.
Authorities say dozens of people were wounded and at least four killed in the attacks, which disrupted flights and commercial activity across the region. Several of the targeted states host large U.S. military facilities, including the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, which was struck on Saturday.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned the country’s armed forces would “crush the U.S. bases with force.” Although many Iranian drones and missiles were intercepted and most Gulf states have not returned fire, tensions remain elevated and analysts caution the situation could escalate further.
Concerns about a broader, sustained conflict have increased following reports of the supreme leader’s death. Unrest and demonstrations have spread beyond the Gulf: pro-regime demonstrators in Karachi, Pakistan, attempted to storm the U.S. consulate, with at least 20 people reported killed. In Baghdad, crowds pressed toward the Green Zone and security forces used water cannon near the American embassy.
Regional sources say Iran’s apparent tactic of striking Gulf states may be an attempt to shorten the wider confrontation by pressuring Arab governments to compel the U.S. and Israel to halt their campaign. So far, that strategy has not produced that outcome. Imtiaz Tyab for CBS News in Oman.