Why is Iran attacking countries in the Middle East after the US-Israeli strike? – Nationally
The war between Iran, the United States and Israel has quickly escalated in some Gulf countries that have vowed to retaliate against Iran’s attacks, raising the risk of a wider and far-reaching conflict in the Middle East.
After Saturday’s US and Israeli attacks on Tehran and the rest of the country, Iran has responded by firing waves of missiles and explosives at several of its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Although most of those attacks were intercepted by air defenses, at least five people have been reported dead since Monday, including three people in the UAE and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Kuwait later confirmed that two marines were killed on Monday while “conducting a mission” with its forces.
In addition, the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah targeted Israel, which responded with strikes in Lebanon, killing more than twenty-two people.
The confusion of what was happening became clear on Monday when the US military said Kuwait had “accidentally shot down” three US warplanes as Iran attacked the country with jets, missiles and drones.
US Central Command said all six American pilots ejected safely and were in stable condition.
“It’s a big mess,” said Rex Brynen, a political science professor at McGill University who specializes in Middle East politics.
He and other experts Global News spoke to said Iran wants to increase the cost of war with the US and Israel by “absorbing the entire Gulf region.”
“Maybe they didn’t think they could do enough damage to the US, but maybe by hurting America’s allies, they could do that,” Brynen said.
Asher Kaufman, a professor of history and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, said Iran’s retaliation was not a surprise and that the US and Israel might have been prepared.
“(Iran’s) interest now is to turn this war into a regional conflict,” he said.
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“From the American and Israeli perspective, things are not happening much differently than they might have been planning for a long time.”
Global Affairs Canada said as of Monday, there are 85,000 Canadians in the Middle East, more than 50,000 of whom are in the UAE, Lebanon or Saudi Arabia.
The United States and European nations have military bases spread across the Middle East, including in countries that Iran has been attacking.
While Iranian drones and missiles have hit those bases, they have also hit airports in or near Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE.
Map showing Iran’s retaliation to US and Israeli strikes.
AFP/Getty Images
Some civilian infrastructure was hit by shrapnel and debris from Iranian projectiles intercepted by the Gulf nations’ air defenses, causing damage and dozens of injuries.
The Abu Dhabi complex that houses the Israeli embassy and other international agencies was hit by debris on Sunday, local officials said, and at least two homes were damaged by drones that fell in Dubai.
The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said earlier on Tuesday it was dealing with a “range of ballistic missiles from Iran” and was taking steps to counter the threat.
In a statement on Monday, the Ministry said that it has seized 174 missiles and 689 drones that Iran had launched in the country so far. Some fell into the sea or “into the middle of the land,” resulting in “collateral damage.”
“The country has the absolute right to respond to this escalation,” the UAE considers “a blatant act of aggression and a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law,” the statement read.
This composite of satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC shows Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, left, and Sunday, March 1, 2026, right. (Planet Labs PBC via AP).
The UAE has previously joined its Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar, as well as the US, in condemning Iran’s “unprovoked strikes” on neighboring countries.
“The actions of the Islamic Republic represent a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of many states and threatens the stability of the region,” said a joint statement on Monday.
“The targeting of civilians and non-combatants is reckless and disturbing behavior. We stand together in defense of our citizens, sovereignty and territories, and assert our right to defend ourselves in the face of this attack.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense in Qatar, said on Monday its military shot down two Iranian bombs and several missiles and drones.
In a letter on Monday, the country told the UN Secretary General and the president of the Security Council that it has the absolute right to respond to Iranian attacks on its territory, Reuters reported.
Also on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery was attacked by drones, and defenses shot down the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the Saudi Press Agency.
That attack, along with threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, has already pushed up oil prices and could increase the economic costs of the war, experts told Global News.
Brynen said that, following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials, the country’s military was “isolated” without political direction on how to retaliate.
“One of these (attacks on the Gulf states) could be local plans by military commanders that are not connected to good plans,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to accept this in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday, where he said the drone attack on Oman’s Duqm Port was “not our choice.”
“We have already told our armed forces to be careful about the targets they choose,” he said, noting that the “independent and isolated” units operate “according to the general orders given in advance.”
Kaufman said whether the war strained relations between the Arabs and the US or Israel depended largely on the outcome.
“Everything depends on the survival of this regime, because at the end of the day, many Gulf states have no sympathy for the Iranian regime,” he said.
“If this regime falls, then many states in the Gulf – certainly Saudi Arabia – would be very happy. But if this regime survives this war, I think we will be able to ask the question of the outcome of their relations with Israel (and the US).
-From files from the Associated Press
