Iran Launches Unprecedented Retaliatory Strikes on US Military Bases Across the Middle East

Missiles target Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Jordan hours after joint US-Israel ‘Operation Epic Fury’ on Tehran
MANAMA / DOHA / ABU DHABI —
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a sweeping wave of ballistic missile strikes Saturday against US military installations across the Middle East, retaliating for a joint American-Israeli assault on Iranian territory in what marks one of the most significant escalations in the region in decades.
Iran’s state-affiliated Fars News Agency confirmed strikes on four major US military facilities: the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in the Juffair district; Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest US military installation in the Middle East; Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait; and Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Iran also targeted Muwaffaq Al-Salti Air Base in Jordan, according to Iranian state media.
The IRGC declared that “all Israeli and American military targets in the Middle East have been struck” and warned the operation would continue “relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated.”
Casualties and Damage
US officials confirmed no American military fatalities as of early Saturday, though infrastructure damage at Bahrain’s Fifth Fleet base was acknowledged as “significant.” In the UAE, missile debris from an intercept fell into a residential area in Abu Dhabi, killing one civilian — the first reported death from Iran’s retaliatory salvo.
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems, operating in coordination with US forces, successfully intercepted and destroyed two incoming Iranian missiles before they reached Qatari territory. Kuwait and Jordan also reported successful interceptions. Explosions were heard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, though no official confirmation of strikes there has been issued.
Regional Fallout
UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait immediately closed their airspace following the attacks, triggering widespread flight disruptions. Qatar Airways suspended all flights, and international carriers including Lufthansa halted operations in and around the Gulf region.
Saudi Arabia condemned what it called “brutal Iranian aggression” and expressed “full solidarity” with the attacked nations, warning of “dire consequences” for continued violations of national sovereignty. The UAE called the strikes a “flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law,” reserving its “full right to respond.”
The Strikes on Iran
The Iranian retaliation followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “major combat operations” against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury. In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump said the mission aimed to “raze Iran’s missile industry to the ground and annihilate its navy,” adding that American casualties were a possibility. “I do not make this statement lightly: the Iranian regime seeks to kill,” he said.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement that “dozens of military targets were struck” in Iran, describing the operation as the result of “months of close and joint planning” between US and Israeli forces conducted “in full coordination.”