Iran’s armed forces have responded to the strikes by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel and neighbouring Arab states that host US military installations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told neighbouring states that the US-Israeli attack had “left us no choice but to defend ourselves” after diplomacy had failed.
“We respect your sovereignty and believe the region’s security and stability has to be achieved through the collective efforts of its states.”
It came after Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call that Iran was seeking to harm its neighbours and draw them into a war “that is not theirs”, according to the Qatari government.
Thani also “categorically rejected” Araghchi’s assertion that the missiles were directed solely at US interests, citing the strikes on civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
Early on Wednesday, Kuwait’s health ministry said an 11-year-old girl, who was a resident of the country, had died after being hit by falling shrapnel.
Nine other people – six US service personnel, two Kuwaiti army soldiers, and one other civilian – have been killed in Kuwait since the start of the conflict.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia said there had been an attempted drone attack on its largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, on the Gulf coast. No damage or disruption had been reported, it added.
On Monday, the refinery was forced to halt some operations after a drone attack caused a fire.
Turkey’s defence ministry also said an Iranian missile heading towards its airspace had been intercepted by Nato air and missile defence systems in the Eastern Mediterranean.
And in Qatar, the State Security Service announced the arrest of 10 members of two cells allegedly linked to the IRGC, which it said had been tasked with spying on infrastructure and carrying out “sabotage operations”.
The IDF also said its defence systems had operated to intercept more salvos of Iranian missiles. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
A total of 10 people have been killed in missile strikes in Israel over the past five days.