by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
MANAMA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Armed conflict intensified across the Middle East on Saturday as U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites after intercepting drones and missiles launched by Iran toward Arab Gulf states, while Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least nine people, including three members of the Lebanese military, officials said.
A Filipino Christian domestic worker in Bahrain told Worthy News she could hear “missiles and bombing” near her workplace early Saturday and said she and other expatriates had endured sleepless nights amid repeated attacks and air raid warnings.
Bahrain activated warning sirens nationwide, while Kuwait reported intercepting missile and drone threats in the early hours of Saturday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted U.S. bases in the region in retaliation for American strikes and also fired on tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz without Tehran’s permission.
US STRIKES RADAR SITES
Video footage released by U.S. Central Command and obtained by Worthy News appeared to confirm that American forces struck Iranian coastal radar installations in response to Tehran’s latest attacks.
U.S. Central Command said Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, with American forces intercepting six while a seventh failed to reach its target. Earlier, U.S. forces also shot down four Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz.
“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said.
Kuwait’s military said its forces intercepted missiles and drones targeting the country, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and urged residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official instructions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces in Kuwait, and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
LEBANON CEASEFIRE UNDER PRESSURE
The regional tensions were compounded by renewed violence in Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement reached earlier this week between Israel and the Lebanese government following U.S.-brokered talks.
The Lebanese army said an Israeli airstrike on a road linking Nabatiyeh and Marjayoun killed a brigadier general, a captain, and another soldier. A separate strike on the southern village of Saksakiyah killed six civilians and wounded four others, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
“The continued, deliberate, and repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon, its people and its army only strengthens our resolve, faith and determination,” the Lebanese military said in a statement.
The army added that the attacks appeared aimed at undermining efforts “to reach a solution that would restore stability, establish a comprehensive ceasefire and lead to the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military regarding the strike that killed the Lebanese troops.
HEZBOLLAH REJECTS AGREEMENT
The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement has rejected the ceasefire agreement, raising concerns that renewed fighting could undermine broader efforts to stabilize the region.
The fighting in Lebanon also threatens attempts to preserve a fragile truce between Iran and the United States, as Tehran has repeatedly linked any lasting regional settlement to developments in Lebanon.
Israel has maintained military operations in parts of southern Lebanon, saying it remains determined to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military infrastructure near the border.
The renewed bloodshed underscored the continuing fragility of ceasefire efforts in the Middle East despite ongoing diplomatic initiatives backed by Washington.
TRUMP SEEKS IRAN DEAL
The latest escalation comes as President Donald Trump increases pressure on Iran to reach a broader agreement ending the conflict.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement last week to extend a ceasefire by 60 days and begin new talks on Iran’s nuclear program. However, Iranian officials have not publicly endorsed the proposal.
Despite the latest violence, Trump expressed optimism Friday.
“The situation with Iran seems to be going quite well,” he told reporters.
Yet the continued exchanges of fire from the Gulf to Lebanon underscored the fragility of ceasefire efforts and the risk of a wider regional conflict.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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Armed conflict intensified across the Middle East on Saturday as U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites after intercepting drones and missiles launched by Iran toward Arab Gulf states, while Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least nine people, including three members of the Lebanese military, officials said.