Manama, Bahrain, 29 March (H.S.): Iran launched a daring attack on Bahrain's key Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) plant Saturday, leaving two employees with minor injuries and ratcheting up fears of wider conflict in the Gulf.

Bahrain News Agency reported Sunday that Alba confirmed the facility was targeted in the assault. The company stressed employee safety as its top priority, providing immediate medical care to the wounded while assessing damage and working to restore normal operations.

Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) swiftly claimed responsibility via state media IRIB, boasting that its aerospace and naval units hit major industrial sites in Bahrain and the UAE with missiles and drones. The targets included Alba and UAE's Emirates Global Aluminium, which IRGC accused of indirectly fueling US military production through ties to American defense and aerospace sectors. Iran framed the strikes as retaliation for alleged US-Israeli assaults on its infrastructure.

Tensions spiked further as Tehran threatened strikes on Israeli and US universities across the Middle East. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis fired missiles and drones at Israel in solidarity, marking their second such barrage. Iran vowed revenge for attacks in Bushehr and Khuzestan provinces, where Al Jazeera reported four family members killed in Bushehr and a water facility hit in Khuzestan.

Protests erupted meanwhile, with demonstrators in Tel Aviv and US cities rallying against war with Iran, while Beirut streets filled with Lebanese mourning three journalists killed in an Israeli strike. Iran's Press TV claimed Saturday's counteroffensive by IRGC, army units, and regional allies targeted an Israeli radar center and airport, downing a US MQ-9 drone and striking an F-16. Haifa's port hosted hits on an Israeli electronic warfare and radar center run by a defense tech firm, plus a fuel depot at David Ben-Gurion Airport.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar