Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates all reported they intercepted missiles and drones on Saturday evening from Iran. The UAE also reported that debris from an interception killed a worker in Dubai, bringing the number of people killed in the UAE since the war began to four.

The attacks came eight hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized Saturday for attacks on “neighboring countries.”

The UAE’s Defense Ministry said that it was responding to intercept missiles and drones launched toward the country, as Qatar’s Defense Ministry also said that it intercepted a missile attack. Meanwhile, sirens went off in the island kingdom of Bahrain for the seventh time on Saturday.

The attacks underlined the limited powers exercised by the theocracy’s leaders over the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls the ballistic missiles targeting Israel and other countries. It answered only to Khamenei and now appears to be picking its own targets.

Pezeshkian, part of the three-member leadership council overseeing Iran since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a Feb. 28 airstrike that started the war, delivered the message a week into the conflict that has rattled global markets and left Iran’s leadership weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.

The message, seemingly filmed in a hurry, underlined the limited powers exercised by the theocracy’s leaders over the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls the hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting Israel and other countries. It answered only to Khamenei and appears to be picking its own targets.

Pezeshkian’s statement said Iran’s leadership council had been in touch with the armed forces over the attacks.

“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” he said. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”

But Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, Iran’s armed forces spokesman, then added confusion by saying that Tehran has “not hit countries that did not provide space for America to invade our country.”

The U.S. strikes haven’t been coming from the Gulf Arab governments under attack, but from U.S. bases and vessels in the region.

“As long as the presence of U.S. bases in the region continue, the countries will not enjoy peace,” Iran’s Parliament speaker and a former Revolutionary Guard general, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on X. He called defense policies in line with the late supreme leader’s guidance.

Sirens sounded early Saturday in Bahrain as Iran targeted the island kingdom. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones headed toward its vast Shaybah oil field and shot down a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces.

In Dubai, several blasts were heard Saturday morning and the government said it had activated air defenses. Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport were ushered into train tunnels.

Long-haul carrier Emirates later said all flights to and from Dubai were suspended until further notice, but then said it would resume operations.

(AP & YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)