Iran has continued launching attacks against Gulf Arab states despite previously signaling regret, with gas facilities now emerging as primary targets in the escalating regional conflict.
Qatari authorities said they were responding to a fire that broke out in the Ras Laffan industrial city, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas production hubs, following what they described as an Iranian attack.
QatarEnergy confirmed the site sustained “significant damage.”
“The industrial city was hit by missile attacks. Emergency crews were immediately deployed to contain fires caused by the strike. Significant damage was caused. There are no fatalities,” the company said in a statement.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry said the country was targeted by five Iranian ballistic missiles. Four were intercepted and the fifth struck Ras Laffan. Two additional ballistic missiles were later fired toward Ras Laffan but were successfully intercepted.
Qatar later unprecedently announced that Iran's military and security attaches are persona non grata in the Gulf sultanate.
In neighboring Saudi Arabia, the Defense Ministry said it intercepted a drone that attempted to approach a gas field in the kingdom’s east, adding that no damage was reported.
The Saudi statement came shortly after officials said four missiles fired toward the capital, Riyadh, were intercepted. Explosions were heard across the city, and debris from the interceptions fell in several areas. No casualties or damage were reported.
Since the start of the current war, Iran has launched thousands of ballistic missiles and drones toward Gulf states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. Tehran initially claimed it was targeting foreign military installations in those countries, but civilian sites have also been struck.
The attacks have rattled countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which have largely avoided direct involvement in regional wars, disrupting business activity and slowing economic growth in areas unaccustomed to sustained military threats.