In a sweeping and unprecedented escalation, Iran on Tuesday launched a vast barrage of missiles and drones across the Middle East, striking Israeli territory and American military installations in several Gulf states in what officials described as a direct reprisal for a joint United States-Israeli operation that reportedly killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The assault, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps characterized as the opening phase of the “most ferocious” military campaign in its history, appeared to mark a decisive shift from years of shadow warfare toward an overt, multi-front confrontation. The scale and geographic reach of the strikes — from the Levant to the Persian Gulf — have pushed the region into a state of acute and unpredictable instability.
Missiles and drones struck or were intercepted over Israel and six Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Several of those nations host significant American military assets, underscoring the risk that the conflict could rapidly widen.
In Dubai, an explosion at the international airport caused structural damage and wounded four people, according to local officials. Debris from an intercepted projectile struck a luxury hotel in the city’s downtown district, shattering windows and igniting a brief fire that was later contained. In Abu Dhabi, authorities confirmed at least one fatality after air defenses intercepted a missile over a residential neighborhood, scattering fragments across nearby streets.
In Manama, a drone struck a commercial high-rise, causing significant facade damage. Officials said the nearby headquarters of the United States Naval Forces Central Command faced a sustained attempted barrage, most of which was intercepted by combined American and Bahraini air defenses.
The retaliatory campaign followed a high-risk operation that President Donald J. Trump described as an effort to precipitate the collapse of the Islamic Republic. Israeli officials confirmed that their forces had specifically targeted Mr. Khamenei, whose reported death has reverberated across diplomatic channels and ignited fury among Iran-aligned factions from Lebanon to Iraq.
By striking not only Israel but also Arab monarchies aligned with Washington, Tehran appeared to signal that it views those governments as integral components of a broader security architecture it now seeks to dismantle. Analysts said the breadth of the assault suggested a strategy aimed at recalibrating regional power dynamics in the wake of losing its most powerful religious and political authority.
In Qatar, missiles were intercepted near the Al Udeid Air Base, a critical hub for the United States Central Command. Qatari officials condemned the attack as a “direct assault on national security” and a violation of sovereignty. Similar statements were issued in Riyadh and Amman.
In Riyadh, Saudi air defenses engaged multiple incoming drones over the capital and in the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province. In Amman, officials reported that falling shrapnel from intercepted projectiles ignited fires in the northern city of Irbid, prompting evacuations but no immediate reports of fatalities.
Israeli defense officials said at least 35 missiles were directed at their territory, with most intercepted by multilayered defense systems. Several impacts were reported in open areas, and authorities said they were still assessing damage.
The unrest extended beyond the immediate battlefield. In Karachi, in Pakistan, security forces clashed with thousands of pro-Iranian demonstrators who attempted to storm the United States consulate. At least eight people were killed in the violence, hospital officials said. In Baghdad, Iraqi security personnel deployed tear gas to disperse crowds gathered outside the American embassy, where protesters demanded the expulsion of Western forces following news of Mr. Khamenei’s death.
Iran’s latest actions follow a pattern of increasingly assertive regional maneuvers. In January 2024, the Revolutionary Guards conducted ballistic missile strikes in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, which Tehran framed as retaliation for a deadly bombing in Kerman claimed by the Islamic State. Those strikes, targeting alleged Israeli intelligence sites and militant positions, drew a sharp response from Islamabad, which launched retaliatory attacks on Iranian territory.
Yet the current escalation dwarfs those earlier exchanges. The targeting of Kuwait’s main airport, where a drone strike caused significant structural damage and multiple injuries, and sustained attempts to penetrate Saudi and Emirati airspace suggest that longstanding informal rules of engagement have collapsed.
As Washington and its allies deliberate their response, diplomats warn that the region stands at a perilous crossroads. A miscalculation by any party could draw in global powers, disrupt energy markets and transform a volatile confrontation into a prolonged and devastating regional war. For now, the Middle East braces for what Iranian commanders have vowed will be only the opening phase of a far-reaching campaign.