Explosions heard in Doha as Gulf nations report new attacks

2026-03-09 - 01:44

Doha passengers stranded by flight disruptions board buses for a 12-hour journey to Riyadh Airport, Saudi Arabia, amid travel chaos. (EPA Images pic) DOHA: Several explosions were heard on Monday in the Qatari capital Doha, AFP journalists said, as Gulf nations reported new attacks with Iran pressing its retaliatory strikes across the region. Doha has been targeted by waves of Iranian drones and missiles since Iran launched a sprawling retaliation campaign across the Gulf in the wake of US and Israeli attacks against the Islamic republic. Qatar’s defence ministry said on Monday that its forces had intercepted a missile attack. Elsewhere in the Gulf, Kuwait’s defence ministry said the country’s air defences were working to intercept a missile and drone attack on Monday. On Sunday, the Gulf nation was targeted by seven missiles and five drones, according to figures released by authorities. Several people were also injured on Sunday in an Iranian drone attack on Bahrain’s island of Sitra, the interior ministry said, as AFP journalists reported two loud explosions. The United States said Sunday that it was ordering embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia as Iran strikes the kingdom. The state department said in a travel advisory it had “ordered non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks”. Drones hit the US embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh last week, and drones have also caused damage at the US embassies in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Gulf countries have borne much of Tehran’s response after the United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran on Feb 28. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned Sunday that the Islamic republic “will be forced to respond” against its neighbours if their territory is used to attack it.