The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday that its air defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian missiles and drones, as Iran Qatar warnings spread across Gulf states. The UAE Ministry of Defense said explosions heard across the country came from those interceptions, not from impact.
Qatar's Interior Ministry raised the security threat level and told people to stay inside their homes or other safe places. Bahrain's Interior Ministry activated air raid sirens and told citizens and residents to head to the nearest safe place.
UAE air defenses engage
The UAE Ministry of Defense said air defenses were actively engaging incoming missiles and drones from Iran. That left residents hearing explosions while the intercepts were under way, a sign that the defensive response was happening across the country rather than at one isolated site.
Sunday's sequence matters because the Gulf response unfolded while the US launched a third round of strikes targeting radar, missile, and drone sites across southern Iran. The incident linked three layers at once: incoming projectiles, local air defenses, and a wider military exchange centered on Iran.
IRGC names Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its Aerospace Force launched the first phase of its retaliation against US military positions. In that statement, the IRGC said it targeted Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, used explosive drones against a Patriot air defense system, an ammunition depot, and a radar site in Kuwait, and carried out second-round ballistic missile strikes on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The IRGC also said it struck a second US vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and hit logistics support centers and refueling platforms used by US aircraft carriers at the Port of Duqm in Oman. The IRGC's public relations office told IRIB that the sites were destroyed. The claims describe a much wider target set than the defensive actions reported by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain.
Qatar and Bahrain alert residents
Qatar's Interior Ministry said the security threat level is high and urged people to remain inside their homes or other safe places, follow official safety instructions, and avoid unnecessary movement. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said air raid sirens have been activated and issued a direct instruction: "Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place".
The practical impact for residents is immediate. People in Qatar and Bahrain were told to shelter or move to safe locations while air defenses in the United Arab Emirates were still intercepting projectiles, creating a regional security posture that moved in step across several states at once.
The unresolved point is the damage from the claimed strikes in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz. The next confirmed development in the sequence is the continuing exchange of strikes and counterstrikes tied to Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and the US.
