DUBAI: As the United States and Israel launched a coordinated military offensive against Iran on Saturday, Tehran fired missiles at US interests across the Middle East in a wide-ranging retaliation, acting swiftly on its promise to hit back.

Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars reported that Iranian missile attacks had targeted US military facilities, including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

Al Udeid base in Qatar houses CENTCOM, the region’s American military command, as well as its air and special operations forces. Iran fired missiles at Al Udeid last June after US strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities during a brief war with Israel.

According to Reuters, Iranian missiles fired at US bases were intercepted in Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, all of which have a US military presence. Jordan also intercepted missiles.

Missile trails streaked across the sky above several cities as loud blasts rang out, most likely the sound of air defences intercepting barrages of incoming missiles.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote a letter to the United Nations secretary-general and president of the UN Security Council, IRIB news agency reported. He wrote that Iran would continue to exercise its right to self-defence decisively and without delay until the aggression is completely and unconditionally stopped.

He said the Iranian armed forces would use all necessary defensive capabilities and facilities to confront this criminal aggression and deter hostile actions. Accordingly, all bases, facilities and assets of hostile forces in the region would be considered legitimate military targets within the framework of Iran’s exercise of its right to self-defence.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said: “All occupied territories and the criminal US bases in the region have been struck by the powerful blows of Iranian missiles. This operation will continue relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated.”

It added, “The IRGC’s missiles and drones have struck the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other American bases in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as military and security centres in the heart of the occupied territories (Israel), with severe blows.”

Bahrain confirmed an attack inside its territory and said a service centre of the US Fifth Fleet had been struck. Video from a Reuters witness showed a plume of grey smoke rising near the small island nation’s coast as sirens wailed.

In Israel, sirens blared across the country in the hours after it launched attacks on Iran. The Israeli news media reported Iranian missile strikes in Haifa, where a large fragment hit a residential building, causing structural damage, the New York Times reported.

In Umm al-Fahm and another community in northern Israel, minor injuries were reported. Debris and impact sites were also located in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Kafr Manda and Kafr Harif.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2026