Blasts rock Gulf cities

Fresh explosions were heard Sunday morning in Dubai, Doha and Manama after a day of Iranian strikes in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli attacks.

AFP reporters heard blasts in Dubai, Manama and Doha, where correspondents saw thick black smoke rising on the clear morning horizon in the south of the city.

The new explosions came after a day of deadly Iranian strikes in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, as well as hits on military bases and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf — except for Oman.

Iran’s attacks on the Gulf raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.

On Saturday, across the UAE, Iran fired 137 missiles and 209 drones at the territory, the country’s defense ministry said, with fires and smoke reaching landmarks Palm Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab.

At Abu Dhabi’s airport, at least one person was killed and seven wounded during what the facility’s authority called an “incident.” Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, and Kuwait’s airport were also hit.

In Qatar, officials said Iran had launched 65 missiles and 12 drones toward the Gulf state, most of which were intercepted, but eight people were injured in the salvos, with one of them in critical condition.

On the first day of the strikes, smoke poured from U.S. bases in Abu Dhabi and Manama — home of the American navy’s Fifth Fleet — witnesses saw, with bases also targeted in Kuwait.

The oil- and gas-rich Arab monarchies, lying just across the Gulf from Iran, are long-term American allies and host a clutch of U.S. military bases.

In Manama, the Iranian attacks saw drones and shrapnel slam into residential buildings, with video on social media showing smoke and fire from high-rises.

Saturday’s unprecedented barrage also targeted Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, the region’s biggest U.S. military base, as well as Riyadh and eastern Saudi Arabia.