KUALA LUMPUR — Iran has retaliated for US-Israel strikes launched on Tehran earlier today by striking US bases across the Middle East, bringing fears of a broader war in the region closer to reality.
Explosions were heard in Bahrain, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, regional media reported, as Iran’s state media announced that four US bases have been targeted as a response to the US and Israeli strikes Saturday morning.
Iran launched missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, according to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), media there said.
The IRGC said these were the “first wave” of further large-scale missile and drone attacks.
US embassies in these countries, as well as in Israel and Jordan, have advised Americans to shelter-in-place.
In Tehran, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reporters said they witnessed multiple explosions in the centre and eastern parts of the capital around noon, following the US-Israeli strikes earlier in the morning. IRNA said the strikes also hit an elementary girls’ school in Minab city in southern Iran.
Bahrain News Agency confirmed the missile strike on the US Fifth Fleet’s service centre, while in Kuwait, civil aviation authorities announced the closure of Kuwaiti airspace to all aircraft and passenger traffic.
UAE authorities have also announced a partial closure of its airspace and intercepted “a number” of Iranian ballistic missiles. One person was killed by falling debris as a result of the interception, the UAE defence ministry said.
In northern Israel, injuries have been reported after a building was hit when Iranian missiles were intercepted.
The Malaysian embassy in Doha meanwhile, has urged Malaysians in Qatar to only listen to information from verified sources, including official announcements by the Qatari authorities and the embassy.
Malaysians in Qatar should register themselves with the embassy through e-Consular system at https://ekonsular.kin.gov.my/login, and those requiring consular assistance can contact the embassy at +974 3374 6733 (for emergencies only) or by email at [email protected].
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has condemned the US-Israeli strikes, saying they have brought the Middle East closed to the “edge of catastrophe”.
“Israel’s initiation of these strikes was a vile attempt to sabotage ongoing negotiations and to drag other nations into a conflict that could prove impossible to contain.
“An immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities is imperative. I urge the United States and Iran to pursue a diplomatic off-ramp rather than further escalation, and the international community to act with urgency and without double standards.”
Anwar added that he would be in touch with regional partners on next steps, also urging for the safe of Malaysians in Iran and the region. – February 28, 2026