RIYADH: Damage assessment was ongoing early Tuesday as Saudi Arabia said debris from intercepted ballistic missiles had fallen “in the vicinity” of energy facilities.
“Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense Major General Turki Al-Malki stated that seven ballistic missiles launched toward Eastern Region were intercepted and destroyed, and that debris from the missiles fell in the vicinity of energy facilities,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The defense ministry said that 18 drones have been intercepted and destroyed during the past hours, in a post on social media.
Iran has been firing missiles and drones at the Kingdom and other Arab Gulf countries ever since Israel and the US launched military attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran has slowly eased its blockage of the Strait of Hormuz to some traffic but Tehran’s actions in the vital waterway has spiked energy prices impacting economies worldwide.
Gulf countries have condemned Iranian attacks on vital energy infrastructure, and many other nations have criticized Tehran’s tactics during the war.
Iran has also hit Israel as well as US assets in the region.
US President Donald Trump set an ultimatum for Iran to agree to a deal or face “hell” if it failed to meet the 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday (midnight GMT) deadline.
“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night,” Trump said.
Iran pushed back on US pressure to quickly reopen the strait but said the country wanted a lasting solution to the war.
Early morning attacks
The UAE began firing its air defense Tuesday morning, while Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens in the kingdom, with both Gulf Arab countries facing a new barrage of Iranian fire.
Sharjah authorities said on Tuesday afternoon the administrative building of Thuraya Telecommunications was attacked by Iranian missile.
Two people were killed in the Kurdish region of Iraq after a home was hit by a drone that authorities said had been launched from Iran.
The drone hit the home in the village of Zargazawi in Irbil province early Tuesday, the Counter Terrorism Directorate of the northern Kurdish region said in a statement. Officials condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international law.
The strike came as Iranian forces and allied militias targeted areas across northern Kurdistan with a wave of drones, rockets and missiles.
Activists reported new strikes targeting Iran’s capital, Tehran, early Tuesday morning.
* with input from AP
