Iranian drone damages desalination plant in Bahrain
Published Mar 8, 2026 03:32 pm
People check the damage left by Israeli airstrikes late Friday, in the village of Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon, Saturday, March 7, 2026, where Israeli forces landed overnight and dug a grave in a cemetery searching for Israeli co-pilot Ron Arad who was captured and then went missing after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986. (AP Photo/Ali Salem)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel renewed its assault on southern Lebanon early Sunday as the war entered its ninth day and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” in the next phase of the conflict rippling across the region.
The latest strikes in Lebanon killed 12 more people, pushing the death toll there above 300 after Israel ordered large swaths of the country to evacuate during an offensive that its military said would be aimed at stamping out Iran-supported forces there.
Israel and the United States launched the war on Feb. 28, saying they were targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and suggesting they sought to topple the government. The conflict has since spread across the region, rattling global markets, disrupting air travel and leaving Iran’s leadership weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.
Iran has fired missiles and drones at neighboring countries in the Gulf, Israel has intensified attacks in Lebanon and strikes have reported from Cyprus to waters off of Sri Lanka.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out the next phase of the war late Saturday, saying Israel aims to destabilize Iran’s regime and allow change in government, Israel launched another wave of strikes late Saturday, hitting an oil storage facility in Tehran — the first apparent strike on a civilian industrial site — sending pillars of fire into the night sky.
Iranian president apologizes for attacks but has limited power over them
Iran has apologized for attacks on attacks on “neighboring countries,” even as its missiles and drones continued striking sites in Gulf states — including attacks that have killed civilians — and hard-liners signaled Tehran would not change course.
President Masoud Pezeshkian again struck a conciliatory tone on Sunday, calling Iran’s neighbors friends and brothers while accusing the United States and Israel of using “manipulation” to sow discord between them in remarks aired on state television.
“We will not bow our heads to bullying, injustice or intrusion,” he said.
No sign of de-escalation
Pezeshkian also dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Tehran to surrender unconditionally, saying: “That’s a dream that they should take to their grave.”
Trump threatened that Iran would be “hit very hard” and more “areas and groups of people” would become targets, without elaborating. Already, the conflict has rattled global markets and left Iran’s leadership weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.
“We’re not looking to settle,” Trump told reporters Saturday aboard Air Force One. “They’d like to settle. We’re not looking to settle.”
He described the ongoing U.S. operations in Iran as an “excursion” and said issues such as rising gas prices and the safety of Americans would improve once the conflict ends.
The U.S. and Israel have targeted Iran’s military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. The war’s stated goals and timelines have repeatedly shifted as the U.S. has at times suggested it seeks to topple Iran’s government or elevate new leadership.
The fighting has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 290 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.
Strikes target other Gulf countries
After Pezeshkian’s apology, Iranian strikes kept coming.
Bahrain says an Iranian drone attack caused “material damage” to a desalination plant — the first time an Gulf country said Iran has struck a desalination plant during the nine-day war.
Hundreds of desalination plants sit along the Persian Gulf coast, and the region relies heavily on them for their water.
Earlier Sunday, the United Arab Emirates said debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle and killed a driver. Four people have now been killed in the UAE since the war began. Authorities have said all were foreign nationals.
The UAE urged residents to stay indoors Sunday morning as its military responded to a drone attack. In Kuwait, authorities said a wave of drones targeted critical infrastructure, including fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport and a government building in Kuwait City. At least two people were killed by strikes in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Saudi Arabia said it destroyed a drone headed toward its vast Shaybah oil field on Sunday and shot down four drones over the capital, Riyadh, including one aimed at the diplomatic quarter. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said that missile fragments fell onto a road in Manama, injuring one person and causing damage to several shops.