Saipan — Iran launched retaliatory strikes Saturday after the United States and Israel carried out coordinated attacks inside Iran, sending missiles and drones toward Israel and raising tensions across the Gulf as regional governments responded to reported threats.
The Associated Press reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard began what it described as a “first wave” of missiles and drones targeting Israel as the conflict rapidly expanded beyond the initial strikes.
The AP also reported that Bahrain and Kuwait reported missile attacks amid the broader escalation, while Gulf states moved into heightened alert as the regional security situation deteriorated.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry said its armed forces intercepted several incoming missiles before they entered the country’s airspace, saying they were handled immediately under a pre-approved security plan.
Iran’s government, meanwhile, signaled that its response was underway. In a statement cited by the AP, Iran said it “will not hesitate” in responding to what it called renewed military aggression and declared that “the time has come to defend the homeland.”
The retaliation came after President Donald Trump announced that the United States had begun what he described as major combat operations in Iran, marking a sharp escalation that now appears to be spreading across multiple fronts in the region.
As of Saturday night, the scope of the damage, the number of casualties, and the full extent of the regional attacks remained unclear.
