![\"Iran\u2019s](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-128922122,imgsize-94128,width-400,resizemode-4\/128922122.jpg\" "\\"Iran\u2019s")
<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Hours after the killing of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a sweeping US\u2013Israel operation, Tehran launched what it described as a broad retaliatory campaign targeting American and Israeli military assets across the Middle East.Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that all Israeli and US military targets in the region had been struck \u201cby the powerful blows of Iranian missiles\u201d. <\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Salvos RIP OPEN U.S. Air Defence Umbrella; After Iron Domes, America Defence Shield \u2018Smashed\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis operation will continue relentlessly until the enemy is decisively defeated,\u201d the IRGC said, adding that all US assets throughout the region were now considered legitimate targets.The scale and geography of the attacks have triggered a pressing question: is the United States struggling to safeguard its military footprint in the Gulf, and are its layered air defence systems being stretched to their limits?<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s retaliation was not confined to a single theatre. According to Iranian state-linked outlets and regional media, missiles and drones were launched towards US-linked assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq\u2019s Kurdish region.In Abu Dhabi, at least one person was reported killed after several missiles launched from Iran were intercepted, according to the UAE\u2019s state news agency. A fire broke out near a hotel on Dubai\u2019s Palm Jumeirah after what officials later described as an \u201cincident\u201d in a building that injured four people.Footage verified by BBC showed thick smoke rising from a luxury hotel in Dubai, while other videos captured loud explosions and interceptions in the skies over Doha and Manama. <\/p>\n .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In Bahrain, the government confirmed that a missile attack targeted the headquarters of the US Navy\u2019s Fifth Fleet in Manama. The kingdom described it as a \u201ctreacherous attack\u201d and \u201ca blatant violation of the kingdom\u2019s sovereignty and security\u201d.Video circulating on social media appeared to show a drone striking a tower block near the naval headquarters, setting it ablaze. Bahrain\u2019s Interior Ministry said several residential buildings had been hit and civil defence teams were engaged in rescue and firefighting operations.<\/p>\n Amid the barrage of claims and counterclaims, US Central Command issued an update from Tampa, Florida.\u201cAs of 9:30 am ET, March 1, three US service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury,\u201d CENTCOM said.Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and were being returned to duty, it added, noting that major combat operations continued and the situation remained fluid.The confirmation of American fatalities marks a significant escalation, raising the stakes for Washington and reinforcing concerns over the vulnerability of forward-deployed US forces.<\/p>\n In Kuwait, the defence ministry said Ali al-Salem Air Base came under attack by ballistic missiles, all of which were intercepted by Kuwaiti air defence systems. However, a drone targeted Kuwait International Airport, leaving employees with minor injuries and causing material damage.Kuwait\u2019s Foreign Ministry said the country maintained its right to defend itself.In Qatar, the defence ministry said it had \u201cthwarted\u201d attacks under a \u201cpre-approved security plan\u201d, intercepting all missiles before they reached the country\u2019s territory. Sources speaking to Al Jazeera reported that a long-range early warning radar in northern Qatar had been targeted.The Qatari foreign ministry called the attack \u201ca flagrant violation of its national sovereignty\u201d and \u201can unacceptable escalation\u201d, noting that Doha had sought to distance itself from regional conflicts.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia confirmed that Iran had targeted Riyadh and the kingdom\u2019s eastern region, adding that the attacks were repelled.\u201cThese attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way,\u201d the Saudi foreign ministry said, stressing that the kingdom had previously confirmed it would not allow its territory to be used to target Iran.In Iraq, Erbil International Airport in the Kurdish region was reportedly targeted twice. US air defences shot down a drone near a US military base close to Erbil, according to Reuters. The Iraqi government later confirmed air strikes on Jurf al-Nasr, a military base housing Kataib Hezbollah elements integrated into the regular army.Kataib Hezbollah warned that it would soon begin attacking American bases \u201cin response to their aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps escalated its rhetoric by claiming it had directly struck a major US naval asset in the Gulf.\u201cThe US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles,\u201d AFP quoted the Guards as saying, as Tehran sought to portray the attack as a significant blow to American military power in the region.However, the United States swiftly rejected the claim.\u201cIran\u2019s IRGC claims to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles. LIE. The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn\u2019t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM\u2019s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime,\u201d US Central Command said.Despite Washington\u2019s denial, the IRGC maintained its hardline tone, warning that \u201cthe land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors\u201d.In a separate development, US Central Command said an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was struck during the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury and was sinking near Chah Bahar in the Gulf of Oman.The naval dimension of the confrontation, involving aircraft carriers, destroyers and support vessels, has introduced a new layer of strategic risk to an already volatile regional conflict, raising concerns about further escalation at sea.<\/p>\n Iran signalled that the campaign was far from over. In what it called the fifth wave of \u201cOperation True Promise 4\u201d, the IRGC said a ship carrying ammunition for American vessels at Jebel Ali anchorage had been hit and \u201ccompletely disabled\u201d.It also claimed that \u201cThe American naval base in the Abdullah Mubarak area of Kuwait was hit by 4 ballistic missiles and 12 drones, and all the infrastructure was destroyed, and a large number of American forces were killed and injured.\u201d\u201cThe IRGC Navy, along with the air force, will keep the gates of hell open to enemy units,\u201d it added.Independent verification of the scale of damage remains limited, but the rhetoric underscores Tehran\u2019s intent to broaden the battlefield.<\/p>\n Across the region, Patriot systems and other missile defence batteries were activated repeatedly. In Doha, Accroding to Al Jazeera witnesses reported hearing at least a dozen explosions that sounded like Patriot interceptors engaging incoming missiles.The United States maintains about 13 military bases across the Middle East, with between 30,000 and 40,000 troops typically deployed.While many missiles were intercepted, the sheer number of launches and the geographic spread of targets have raised questions about the sustainability of constant high-alert operations and the strain on interceptor inventories.Even successful interceptions come at a cost. Patriot missiles and other high-end interceptors are expensive and finite, and saturation attacks can test the limits of layered defences.<\/p>\n The conflict also reverberated across global energy markets. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said vessels in the Gulf had received warnings about the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz.Roughly one fifth of the world\u2019s oil and gas passes through the strait, making it one of the most critical maritime chokepoints globally. Any prolonged disruption could trigger sharp spikes in oil prices and destabilise global markets. <\/p>\n .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE temporarily closed their airspace, further signalling the severity of the escalation.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Deputy foreign minister Hamid Ghanbari told Al Jazeera that Tehran had the right to defend itself and regretted any humanitarian losses caused by the escalation.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stating that Iran would \u201ccontinue \u2060to exercise its right of \u2060self-defence decisively and without \u2060hesitation until \u2060the aggression ceases fully and unequivocally\u201d.Araghchi later said the killing of Khamenei was \u201ca very serious and unprecedented act and a blatant violation of international law\u201d, adding: \u201cWe have no restrictions or limits in defending ourselves.\u201dHe confirmed that a Transitional Council had been established to manage affairs following the leadership vacuum.<\/div>\n\nA multi-front retaliation across the Gulf<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nCENTCOM confirms US casualties<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Kuwait and Qatar: Bases under fire<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia and Iraq drawn in<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Iran claims strike on USS Abraham Lincoln, US denies hit<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWill keep the gates of hell open\u201d: Iran<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
US Air defence under strain?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Strait of Hormuz: A global chokepoint at risk<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nIran\u2019s diplomatic defence<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n