ISTANBUL

Three Iranian cruise missiles targeted Qatar on Wednesday, with one striking an oil tanker in Qatar's territorial waters, the Qatari Defense Ministry announced.

The armed forces "successfully intercepted two of the cruise missiles, while the third missile struck an oil tanker leased to Qatar Energy in Qatar's territorial waters," the ministry said through US social media company X.

Relevant measures were activated, and the authorities established coordination to evacuate all 21 crew members from the tanker without any casualties, it added.

The development comes amid heightened regional tensions, as the US and Israel have been carrying out airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and disruption to global markets and aviation.