DUBAI, March 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE's interior ministry reported "a missile threat".

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that in a little over an hour, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" six drones in the country's east and another in the north.

On Thursday, drones struck a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea and caused fires at two others in Kuwait, as Iran stepped up attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure.

Those attacks followed major damage at the world's biggest gas hub, Qatar's Ras Laffan, on Wednesday as Iran retaliated for Israeli strikes on its South Pars gas field.