"The Fifth Fleet service center has been subjected to a missile attack," Bahraini authorities said in a statement, but gave no other details.
Explosions were reported from Kuwait, and oil-rich Qatar said it had shot down two missiles fired from Iran that were heading towards the country, the news channel Al Jazeera reports. Kuwait has closed its airspace. Several explosions were also heard in the Qatari capital Doha as well as in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh and near the US consulate in Erbil in northern Iraq.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attack in Bahrain, as well as in several other places. "The Revolutionary Guards' missiles and drones have struck the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other US bases in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates," it said in a statement, claiming to have dealt "powerful blows" to military targets "in the heart of the occupied territories."
The US Embassy in Qatar is now urging embassy staff and other Americans in the country to "seek shelter in place" until further notice.
Qatar is home to a major US air base, housing thousands of US military personnel. The base was targeted by Iran this summer in retaliation for US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Qatar has now sent out a warning text message to residents, urging them to stay indoors and away from military bases.
Last week, the United States announced that it would move forces from military bases in the Middle East, following escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
