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Explosions heard in Saudi capital Riyadh, UAE's Dubai and Abu Dhabi as Iran launches missiles
Explosions were heard across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Saudi capital of Riyadh following US, Israel's strike on Iran.
Explosions were heard in parts of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and near the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday after Israel and the US conducted strikes on Iran. A witness in Abu Dhabi told Reuters that loud booms were heard across parts of the city, with one witness saying that she heard five booms in rapid succession. The explosions were part of the Iranian counterattack following the United States and Israeli strike on Iran.
One person was also killed in Abu Dhabi after a shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the capital of the United Arab Emirates hit the person, Reuters reported.
A loud bang was also heard in Dubai, though the reason for the noise remained unclear.
Meanwhile, several loud explosions were also heard across the Saudi capital Riyadh, AFP reported. Two correspondents in Riyadh said they heard a loud bang and several explosions, after Iran vowed retaliation following US and Israeli attacks.
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Explosions were heard in Qatar as Iran launched a counterattack over the joint US -Israel campaign targeting the Islamic Republic. Shailja, an Indian resident of Doha in Qatar, told Hindustantimes.com, “There were sounds of explosions, but they seemed to be from far away, probably missiles intercepted in the air.”
The 50-year-old mother of two daughters said that they were taking precautions by staying indoors. " We hope to travel to India as soon as the airspace opens. So far, there's been no damage in our area. But we are keeping a watch and staying close together."
Earlier, the UAE closed their airspace as Israel and the US conducted strikes on Iran.
The United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted Iranian missiles and reserved its right to respond to the attacks, while Kuwait also engaged incoming strikes on Saturday.
"The Ministry of Defence announced that the United Arab Emirates was subjected today to a blatant attack by Iranian ballistic missiles. The UAE's air defences responded with high efficiency and successfully intercepted a number of the missiles," AFP quoted the UAE statement as saying.
Abu Dhabi said it "reserves its full right to respond", slamming the attacks as "a dangerous escalation".
Also read: Full list of airlines that have cancelled, rerouted flights to Middle East amid Iran-Israel conflict
The US embassy in the UAE instructed its staff and the staff in the US Consulate in Dubai to take shelter-in-place in the wake of the developing security situation. Sharing the details in a post on X, it issued helpline numbers and email addresses for US citizens and called for people to find a secure location.
The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, with the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Residents in Tehran reportedly heard powerful blasts as tensions surged following a pre-emptive military strike by Israel.
