Series of Explosions Echo Across Doha as Smoke Billows

Series of explosions echoed in the Doha sky, the capital of Qatar, on Thursday 5 March 2026 local time, accompanied by billowing smoke. This occurred hours after Qatar’s authorities announced they were evacuating residents near the U.S. Embassy complex in Doha. Gulf states have been targeted by a fresh wave of Iranian drone and missile strikes in retaliation for American and Israeli actions since Saturday, 28 February. AFP journalists in Doha described the blasts on Thursday as among the most powerful since Iran began targeting the Gulf state at the weekend; a plume of black smoke rose into the Doha sky. It was not yet clear whether there were any damages or casualties from the latest blasts in Qatar. The blasts came a few hours after Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as Foreign Minister, criticised Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a telephone call on Thursday. This marked the first high-level communication between the two countries since Iran targeted Qatar with drone and missile strikes. In the telephone conversation, the Qatari Foreign Ministry quoted Sheikh Mohammed as accusing Iran of seeking to “endanger neighbouring states and drag them into a war that is not theirs”. He also rejected Iran’s claim that its strikes were aimed only at US targets, not Qatar, emphasising that several attacks hit civilian areas and settlements. The explosions were also heard in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, on Thursday. In Saudi Arabia, authorities said they had intercepted three cruise missiles and three drones on the same day. Off Kuwait’s coast, according to the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a tanker was struck by a “large explosion” triggering an oil spill at sea.