US allies in Middle East face retaliatory Iranian fire

Sirens sounded in Kuwait and alerts were activated in Qatar and Bahrain due to retaliatory Iranian fire over the Gulf countries after the United States launched new airstrikes hitting Iran early Thursday.

The strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire.

The US military hit a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday following Iran's targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.

But Thursday's attacks appeared bigger all around.

There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries.

Kuwait's military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles.

Military officials said in a social media post that the latest strikes were intended to "further degrade" Iran's ability "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with US and Israeli attacks in Iran on Feb. 28.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.