ISTANBUL

Sirens sounded in Bahrain on Friday amid an ongoing regional escalation that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday and was followed by Iranian retaliation.

"Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," Bahrain's Interior Ministry wrote on the US social media company X.

The ongoing Israeli-US offensive on Iran has reportedly killed more than 1,000 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US assets.