- Explosions and black smoke were reported in Doha amid missile interception efforts by Qatar's military
- Six people from Pakistan and Nepal were injured by debris from an intercepted drone in Abu Dhabi
- Iran's retaliation against Gulf states follows recent US and Israeli military strikes in the region
A fresh round of explosions were heard in Qatar's capital, Doha on Thursday, with a column of black smoke rising over the horizon. news agency AFP reported. The country's defence ministry said that its military was working to intercept an incoming missile attack.
Residents in Dubai and Manama also heard explosions earlier in the day.
Earlier, Qatar started evacuating residents living near the US embassy in Doha.
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 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.
Six People Injured In Abu Dhabi
Meanwhile in UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi, falling debris from an intercepted drone injured six people of Pakistani and Nepalese nationality. According to Khaleej Times, the shrapnel fell at two sites in the ICAD 2 area, after the successful interception of a drone by air defences.
"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 defences. The incident resulted in six minor to moderate injuries to Pakistani and Nepalese nationals," Abu Dhabi media office said in a statement.
Residents in the UAE have been repeatedly alerted with sirens and authorities have informed that the loud sounds heard across the Emirates comes as a result of successful air defence interceptions.
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.
Why Is Iran Launching Fresh Attacks?
Iran launched a new wave of attacks Thursday at Israel, American bases and countries around the region, threatening that the United States would "bitterly regret" torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and calling for "Trump's blood," while Israel said it hit multiple targets in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US Navy of committing an "an atrocity at sea" for sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, which killed at least 87 Iranian sailors.
"Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set," he said on social media.
A conflict sparked Saturday with US-Israeli attacks on Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rapidly escalated, engulfing the region and drawing in global powers, and snarling shipping and energy markets.
The war has touched as far afield as the Sri Lankan coast, where a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship, and Azerbaijan, which threatened retaliation after a drone hit an airport.
