Iran appears to have launched a major counterattack across the Middle East following a series of U.S. and Israeli strikes, with explosions reported near the Saudi capital of Riyadh, in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and elsewhere in the region.
The Iranian attacks have targeted locations in at least six countries, including U.S. military bases across the region, and Israel.
There were no reported American casualties as of early Saturday morning. But explosions were reported in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. There were also reports of explosions in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The Saudi government, which other than Israel has traditionally been Iran’s chief regional rival, condemned the Iranian aggression, which has also included the apparent targeting of sites in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan.
In its statement, the Saudi government did not immediately confirm the reports of explosions in the country’s capital.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It said, “The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity with and unwavering support for the brotherly countries, and its readiness to place all its capabilities at their disposal in support of any measures they may undertake. It also warns of the grave consequences resulting from the continued violation of states’ sovereignty and the principles of international law.”
By striking at targets across so many countries, Iran is taking a much different path with its counterattack plan than it has in past instances. Military leadership in Iran may have calculated that with the U.S. attacks designed to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and its military infrastructure, its best course of action is to launch a massive counterassault as quickly as possible, against as many targets as it can before its weapons are neutralized.
U.S. military bases are also in the crosshairs. Iran has reportedly fired missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain also has reportedly come under fire.
There were also reports of a major drone attack launched toward Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Israel.
Iran is believed to have about 2,000 ballistic missiles in its arsenal, along with a major stockpile of attack drones.
