ABU DHABI: Debris from a drone injured six people in an industrial area of the UAE capital on Thursday, while Dubai, Doha and Manama were subjected to missile attacks as Iran pressed on with a retaliation campaign.
The unprecedented attacks by Iran, targeting US military assets but also American embassies and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf, continued into their sixth day after US-Israeli air strikes that devastated Iran's leadership.
At least 13 people have been killed in the Gulf, including seven civilians, since Iran began its attacks on Saturday. Washington said six US servicemen were killed, including four in Kuwait.
"Authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi responded to an incident involving falling debris at two locations in the ICAD 2 area, following the successful interception of a drone by air defenses," Abu Dhabi media office said.
"The incident resulted in six minor to moderate injuries to Pakistani and Nepalese nationals," it added.
The UAE defense ministry said shortly after 7pm local time that it was dealing with another "incoming missile and drone threat from Iran."
"The sounds heard are the result of the air defense systems intercepting missiles and drones," the ministry said. "The public are requested to adhere to the safety and security instructions issued."
The UAE has intercepted more than 1,000 drones, 181 ballistic missiles and 8 cruise missiles, the ministry said before the latest attack.
In Doha, AFP journalists saw a plume of smoke rising from the Qatari capital and reported loud blasts across the city and Qatar's defense ministry said its military was working to intercept an incoming missile.
Earlier, Qatari authorities said they were evacuating residents living near Doha's US embassy.
Residents in Dubai and Manama also heard explosions earlier in the day.
A fire broke out at a unit of Bahrain's Bapco Energies refinery after an Iranian missile strike, but the blaze has been contained, with no injuries reported and refinery operations continuing, Bahrain’s National Communication Centre said on Thursday.
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The statement came after explosions were heard in Bahrain's capital Manama earlier on Thursday.
The UK said it was "temporarily" withdrawing some staff and their dependents from its Bahrain embassy.
"Due to the ongoing security situation, the UK has taken the precautionary step of temporarily withdrawing some Embassy staff" and their families, it said in a statement.
"Our Embassy continues to operate," it said, adding that "the situation is serious and we do not expect it to end in the coming days”.
Elsewhere, a tanker was hit by a "large explosion" in waters off Kuwait, causing an oil spill, British maritime security agency UKMTO reported.
The fresh salvos came hours after Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani lambasted his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister during a call.
The conversation was the first high-level contact between Tehran and a Gulf leader since the start of the attacks.
The Qatari premier accused Iran of seeking to "harm its neighbours and drag them into a war that is not theirs", according to a statement from Qatar's foreign ministry.
*With AFP and Reuters
