Iranian attacks hit buildings in Bahrain housing the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces. Qatar says personnel are safe and warns the strikes threaten Gulf security.
Qatar condemned Iranian attacks that targeted buildings in scattered areas of Bahrain late Thursday that house members of the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces.
In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces were participating in the Unified Maritime Operations Centre, affiliated with the Unified Military Command of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States.
“It considers it a brazen, hostile act and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as a direct threat to its security, stability, and the security of the region,” the statement said.
The Ministry clarified that the members of the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces present in the targeted buildings are safe and well, with no injuries reported among them.
“The Embassy of the State of Qatar in the Kingdom of Bahrain has taken the necessary measures to follow up on their conditions and ensure their safety, in coordination with the competent authorities in the Kingdom,” the statement added.
The attack comes amid escalating regional tensions linked to the ongoing war between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other, which began on 27 February and has seen Iran launch missile and drone strikes across Gulf countries.
Bahrain hosts key U.S. military facilities, including the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, making it one of the countries closely monitoring security developments amid the ongoing regional escalation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Qatar’s full solidarity with Bahrain in “confronting this aggression.”
It added that targeting facilities housing forces operating within the framework of joint Gulf cooperation represents a dangerous escalation that threatens the security of GCC states and violates the principles of good neighbourliness and respect for state sovereignty.
The attacks have raised growing concerns about the possibility of a wider regional confrontation as hostilities continue to expand across the Middle East.
