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An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lands on the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, March. 4, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This report was updated Friday, March 6, 2026.
U.S. forces across the Middle East continued to endure air raid sirens and explosions this week as the State Department works to evacuate thousands of nonessential personnel and American citizens from the region.
Iran has fired counterstrikes at more than a dozen nations in the days since Operation Epic Fury began, targeting military and civilian infrastructure. U.S. forces, meanwhile, have struck nearly 200 targets throughout Iran, killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and crippled the country’s leadership.
Six U.S. service members have been killed and at least 18 had been seriously injured as of Wednesday, U.S. Central Command officials said.
Almost 20,000 American citizens have safely returned from the Middle East, with the first charter flight arriving stateside on Thursday, according to the State Department.
Americans trying to get home were asked to complete an online form to receive departure info when it becomes available.
Reports of Iranian strikes continued into Friday, and airspace remains restricted throughout much of the Middle East.
Bahrain
Iranian drones slammed into two high-rise residential buildings and a hotel in the capital of Manama early Friday morning.
Drones struck the Fontana Towers and the nearby Hilton hotel at around 2:32 a.m., according to the Bahraini interior ministry, which confirmed that two residential buildings and a hotel had sustained damage and that there were no deaths. A second wave of explosions was reported across Manama shortly before 5:47 a.m. Bahrain TV reported multiple drone interceptions over the kingdom’s airspace by 6:40 a.m. Civil defense crews extinguished a fire in one of the affected buildings.
The U.S. naval base appears to have taken extensive damage following several days of Iranian missiles and drone attacks. Iran struck the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, as well as multiple warehouses and satellite dishes on base.
It’s unclear how many, if any, U.S. troops were on base during the attacks. U.S. Central Command has not reported any deaths or injuries out of Bahrain.
At least three other buildings on the island have sustained damage, according to Bahrain authorities, including the high-rise Breaker residential tower and the Era View residential tower. The Crowne Plaza Manama, a five-star hotel, also sustained damage, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said, but there were no casualties.
On Sunday, a drone hit Bahrain’s international airport, causing minor damage. Commercial flights remained suspended on Friday. The U.S. embassy said Friday that there are available overland routes to Saudi Arabia, where Americans can access commercial options.
The naval base typically hosts some 8,300 service members and their families, according to the Navy.
Bahrain also hosts the Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational coalition of 47 countries tasked with countering illegal drug and weapons smuggling in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
The USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups are in the region and represent the vanguard of one of the largest buildups of U.S. naval power in the Middle East in recent years.
Kuwait
Air defenses continued to intercept incoming missiles and drones on Friday, according to the Kuwait Army, with some debris damaging property.
The Pentagon on Wednesday identified the final two victims of the drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on Sunday.
All six reservists were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), a logistics unit based in Des Moines, Iowa. The incident remains under investigation.
The soldiers were:
● Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.
● Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.
● Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.
● Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
● Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa.
● Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif.
Ali Al-Salem Air Base, which hosts U.S. and other international forces, came under ballistic missile attack on Saturday, according to the Kuwaiti military. The country continued to report waves of missiles and drones flying into its airspace as of Wednesday morning.
Kuwait air defenses earlier in the week mistakenly shot down three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles. All six U.S. crew members were safely recovered and sustained no major injuries, CENTCOM said.
Qatar
A pair of Iranian fighter planes flying less than 100 feet above the ground came within minutes of hitting Al Udeid, the U.S. military’s largest base in the Middle East, CNN reported this week.
The incident, which happened Monday morning, involved two Russian-made Su-24 bombers that were headed toward the base. Qatar dispatched American-made F-15 fighters, which were able to down the Iranian planes.
Al Udeid, located about 25 miles outside the capital Doha, is the forward deployed headquarters for U.S. Air Forces Central Command and typically hosts some 10,000 service members.
As of Friday, airspace and maritime routes remained closed, according to the U.S. Embassy in Qatar, but Americans were told they could take buses across the Salwa land border to enter Saudi Arabia, which is operating commercial flights.
Qatar Airways had said Thursday it was organizing a limited number of relief flights for stranded passengers, but on Friday said flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the airspace closure.
United Arab Emirates
Dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones have targeted parts of the United Arab Emirates, which hosts U.S. Air Force and Army assets at Al Dhafra Air Base.
A total of 1,184 drones, eight cruise missiles and 205 ballistic missiles have been detected in the country as of Friday, according to the UAE defense ministry. The majority of those have been intercepted, but 74 drones and 2 ballistic missiles have made impacts on land.
The attacks have resulted in three deaths. The victims were Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationals. The hostilities have caused 112 cases of minor injuries, UAE officials said. No Americans were listed among those hurt.
Some debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell in scattered areas of the country, causing property damage, the ministry said.
On Sunday, two drones struck a naval base in Abu Dhabi, resulting in a fire but no casualties. Some drones have also struck Amazon cloud computing facilities in the UAE, according to the BBC.
As of Friday, there were limited commercial flights operating out of the UAE, according to the State Department, and citizens were advised not to go to the airport unless they held a confirmed ticket.
Overland routes to Oman and Saudi Arabia were open as of Friday for those looking to leave the UAE.
Jordan
U.S. and Jordanian officials have reported ongoing threats from missiles and drones in the country since combat operations began Saturday, when Jordanian armed forces said they intercepted two ballistic missiles. The U.S. Embassy in Amman was temporarily evacuated due to a threat earlier this week and on Tuesday, U.S. officials ordered the departure of non-emergency government personnel and family members.
As of Wednesday, Jordan had ended the temporary closure of its airspace. Queen Alia International Airport remained open as of Friday with flights departing daily, the U.S. embassy said, and several land routes are still available under restricted hours.
The U.S. has sent dozens of attack aircraft to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base over the past month. The base is a key hub for U.S. air power in the region.
Iraq
As of Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq was strongly encouraging Americans to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so. Those who did not choose to leave should be prepared to shelter in place for extended periods, the embassy added.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority has extended its airspace closure to Saturday, and the Iraqi authorities have closed the International Zone in central Baghdad, with limited exceptions.
Most land routes to Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia remained open, but could close on short notice.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi officials continued to report incoming drone and missile attacks on Friday.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones Tuesday, resulting in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building, the Saudi defense ministry said. Eight drones were intercepted near the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj, the ministry said.
The U.S. Embassy closed on Tuesday until further notice due to an attack on the facility and recommended that all Americans in the country shelter in place.
