- Bahrain intercepted 61 missiles and 34 drones, with some striking buildings and naval base
- Satellite image showed smoke at US 5th Fleet base in Manama after Iranian strikes
- A ship in Bahrain port was hit by projectiles causing fire, later extinguished safely
Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones targeting Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting US forces, three days after the US-Israel joint strike began.
The island kingdom of Bahrain today said one person was killed by shrapnel from an intercepted missile.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, says it intercepted 61 missiles and 34 attack drones launched against it. Some fire has gotten through, striking buildings and the naval base.
A satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC on March 1 showed smoke rising from a damaged structure at the US 5th Fleet's naval base in Bahrain's capital Manama after Iranian strikes hit the facility.
The US 5th Fleet has a mix of over 20 warships, including aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, destroyers, fighter jets and approximately 16,000 personnel.
While the roles and classifications keep changing, the core of the fleet is its carrier strike forces which includes amphibious attack groups and warships to secure the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Sea.
On Saturday too, Iran's Revolutionary Guards had said they targeted the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain. After the attack on the US naval base, the target list seems to have expanded to include airports and other civilian facilities.
High-rise residential buildings, luxury hotels, shopping centres and modern airport terminals, symbols of Gulf prosperity, have faced sporadic strikes as air defence systems attempt to respond to the volume of incoming threats.
A ship was hit at a Bahrain port today, causing a fire that was later extinguished, a British maritime security agency reported.
"UKMTO received a report of an incident in the Port of Bahrain. The Company Security Officer reported that the vessel had been struck by two unknown projectiles causing a fire. The fire has been extinguished and the vessel remains in port. All members of the ship's crew are safe and have evacuated the vessel," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
