LONDON: Just days into the joint US-Israeli war on Iran, the Trump administration flagged Tehran’s Shahed one-way attack drones as a major battlefield threat, even as Gulf militaries intercepted the vast majority launched toward them.
After the conflict erupted on Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, Tehran responded with waves of Shahed drones and volleys of ballistic missiles aimed at Israel and Arab states hosting American bases.
Since then, residents across the Gulf have watched missiles and drones streak across the sky, often ending in bursts of fire as air defenses intercept them.
Iran insists it is targeting American assets in retaliation for the offensive, which, according to the Iranian health ministry, has killed at least 1,444 people in Iran, among them Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and much of Tehran’s senior leadership.
People walk in the street at night in the Saudi capital Riyadh. (AFP/File)
