Iranian missiles spark Gulf panic as US military bases face unprecedented aerial attacks.
DUBAI — The Persian Gulf has shifted back to an active war footing following successive salvos of Iranian ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones launched at military installations hosting American personnel across the region. The expanding exchanges have forced Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to engage integrated air-defense networks and issue emergency public alerts, intensifying fears that a previously localized confrontation is metastasizing into a broader regional war.
The strikes underscore how rapidly kinetic operations can radiate beyond Iran’s borders to engulf the Arabian Peninsula. The United States maintains an expansive military footprint across Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. As Tehran has opted to broaden its target set in response to Western pressure and military strikes, these sovereign host nations have found their airspaces and base perimeters transformed into front lines.