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Iran's attacks on Gulf Arab states suggest the Islamic Republic is targeting not just the US military but also civilian infrastructure.
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These are no incoming Dreamliners or Airbuses bringing in the next manifest of tourists and guest workers. They are incoming ballistic missiles, launched by the Emirates' giant neighbour just across the Gulf: Iran.
As of Sunday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry said it had so far "dealt with" 165 incoming ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 541 Iranian drones.
In Bahrain, a friend alerted me on Sunday morning that the airport was under attack after having a sleepless night.
"Woken by huge bangs and wailing siren," he texted. "I think maybe around 20 booms and bangs. At least two hits".
These are not familiar scenes in this region, but since this conflict began on Saturday morning, Iran appears to have expanded its target set from just hitting military targets, like the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, to airports and other civilian sites.
Now luxury hotels and shopping malls, high-rise apartment blocks, state-of-the-art airport departure terminals are getting sporadically hit as gaps appear in the Arab states' air defences in the Gulf.
These places were never built with the prospect in mind that they would one day come under attack from drones and ballistic missiles.
Video shows debris across floor of damaged Dubai airportIran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Aragchi, has denied targeting his country's neighbours, telling Al Jazeera: "We are not attacking our neighbours in the Persian Gulf countries, we are targeting the presence of the US in these countries. Neighbours should direct their grievances to the decision-makers of this war".
Some of the damage to civilian infrastructure in the Gulf states is accidental - resulting from debris falling from intercepted missiles.
The number of attacks on airports in Bahrain and the UAE point to more than coincidence.
Iran always made it clear in advance tha
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