Iran strikes Riyadh, UAE and Bahrain

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh region was struck by two ballistic missiles Monday, the Kingdom's Defense Ministry announced, as Iran simultaneously targeted the UAE and triggered emergency alerts in Bahrain on the war's 24th day.

Of the two missiles fired at Riyadh, one was intercepted and one fell in an uninhabited area, the Saudi ministry said.

In the UAE, the Defense Ministry announced it was "currently responding to missile and drone threats from Iran », reassuring residents that "the sounds being heard are the result of interceptions by air defense systems." Bahrain issued its own public alert, urging "citizens and residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe location."

The Gulf states, long presented to the world as islands of security and stability in a turbulent region, have been systematically drawn into a war they never sought, as Iran fires retaliatory strikes across the region following the US-Israeli offensive launched on February 28.

Tehran has targeted American military installations and civilian infrastructure alike, airports, ports and oil facilities, across the Gulf, with no apparent regard for the neutrality of the states it is striking.