In brief
Iran has launched attacks on key industrial sites in Gulf nations, including aluminium plants in the UAE and Bahrain, resulting in injuries and significant damage. The escalation of hostilities comes as Iran's allies in Yemen threaten to target shipping, potentially impacting global oil prices. As regional tensions soar, fears grow over further military confrontations.
Gulf nations reported a series of attacks as the US-Israel war against Iran entered its fifth week, including strikes on major industrial infrastructure.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said a number of people had been injured in an Iranian strike on a key aluminium plant in Abu Dhabi, with significant damage reported by operator Emirates Global Aluminium.
Meanwhile, state-controlled Aluminium Bahrain said two employees were wounded by an Iranian attack on one of the world's largest aluminium smelting facilities.
It comes after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis entered the conflict on Saturday, raising fears of further economic disruption should they target shipping in the Red Sea.
The group said it had launched a barrage of missiles against Israel targeting sensitive military sites, and vowed to continue such attacks. Israel said it had shot down two missiles coming from Yemen.
Oil and gas prices have already spiked as Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global energy supplies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
If the Houthis decided to attack shipping - as it did in support of Hamas after the war erupted in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 - it would risk sending energy prices higher.
As the war entered its second month, Oman said it was investigating cowardly attacks for which no one had yet claimed responsibility after a foreign worker was reportedly injured in a drone strike on its southern port of Salalah.
Kuwait's defence ministry said the radar system at its international airport had been significantly damaged after being attacked by 15 drones.
Tehran separately accused Israel of targeting two of its steel production operations, while its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened retaliatory action against the US and Israel after two of Iran's universities were hit.
It said Israeli and American universities in the Middle East were considered legitimate targets until two of their universities are struck.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its strikes against Iran and Lebanon, where journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike on Saturday, according to their employers.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had killed Ali Shoeib, who worked for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV, describing him as a terrorist from Iranian-backed Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force who had operated for years under the guise of a journalist.
The same day, the World Health Organization reported nine paramedics had been killed in southern Lebanon within 24 hours - reaching a total of 51 health personnel killed in March so far.
