Top Shot – On February 28, 2026, a projectile explodes over the sea in Haifa Bay, off the coast of a coastal city in northern Israel. The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, and the Islamic Republic retaliated with a barrage of missiles at the Gulf state and Israel, targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Israeli public broadcaster reported. (Photo credit: Jalaa MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Jarrah Maree | AFP | Getty Images
Explosions were heard across the Middle East on Saturday after the United States and Israel launched “extensive joint operations” in Iran, the Israel Defense Forces said. Iran retaliated by attacking Israeli and US bases across the Gulf.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates all confirmed that they intercepted missiles from Iran, where US military bases are located.
In the UAE, “The Ministry of Defense announced that the country came under open attack by Iranian ballistic missiles today, but UAE air defense forces responded with high efficiency and successfully intercepted a large number of missiles.”
CNBC’s United Arab Emirates team confirmed that numerous loud explosions were heard in both the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.
“The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation of the targeting of Qatari territory by Iranian ballistic missiles, calling it a gross violation of national sovereignty, a direct violation of security and territorial integrity, and an unacceptable escalation that threatens regional security and stability,” Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Bahrain, home of the U.S. Central Command, confirmed through its news agency that a service center belonging to the 5th Fleet had been attacked by a missile.
Saudi Arabia, which was not targeted by Iran, issued a statement condemning and condemning Iran’s attack and “clear violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.” Saudi Arabia also confirmed that it is “ready to put all its capabilities at its disposal to support any measures they take.”
Israel, which is participating in joint operations against Iran with the United States, earlier said on X through its Israel Defense Forces account that “an additional barrage of missiles has been launched towards Israel. Air defense arrays are currently identifying and intercepting the threat.” Israel confirmed that sirens continued to sound throughout Saturday as missiles were fired from Iran.
U.S. embassies in the region have instructed their staff and U.S. nationals in each country to shelter in place (or hide) until further notice.
“The U.S. military has launched a major combat operation in Iran. Our objective is to protect the American people and eliminate the immediate threat from the Iranian regime, a sinister group of extremely tough and fearful people,” President Donald Trump said in a statement posted on Truth Social on Saturday.
Airspace closures and impact on flights
The UAE has confirmed it will temporarily close its airspace as an “exceptional precautionary measure”, with flights already being diverted around the main aviation hub of Dubai.
Emirates, Dubai’s main long-haul carrier, said: “Regional airspace closures are disrupting several Emirates flights.”
Air Arabia, another UAE airline based in Sharjah, told CNBC: “Due to the evolving situation and airspace closures, our flights to Iran, Iraq and other regions on February 28 have been canceled. As a result, several other flights may also be delayed or rerouted.”
Qatar Airways also confirmed that it had “temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.”
