This was reported on March 2 by the Telegram channel “The Moscow Times”, citing the The Wall Street Journal.
"In particular, Tehran launched hundreds of drones at countries in the region to overload their air defense systems, reach local American bases, and damage critical infrastructure. This is a strategy of exhaustion. Small, relatively cheap, and hard-to-intercept strike drones do not have the same destructive effect as missiles, but they successfully hit civilian airports, ports, and other key facilities, undermining the sense of security among the population and investors", - the report says.
It is noted that, according to official statements, over the past weekend Iran, in addition to hundreds of missiles, launched 541 drones at the UAE, 283 at Kuwait, 136 at Bahrain, 12 at Qatar, and dozens at Jordan. Russia has been using a similar approach since autumn 2022 during regular attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing power and heating outages.
"Iran’s targets included a U.S. Navy base in Bahrain, airports in the UAE and Kuwait, and seaports. In addition, drones hit high-rise buildings in Dubai and Manama. At least three people were killed in the UAE and one in Oman as a result of the strikes. The attacks have already caused transport disruption and tourism chaos, and also threaten a sharp rise in oil prices — this confirms that Iran is targeting vulnerable points of the global economy. Analysts surveyed by WSJ believe that Tehran is trying to internationalize the conflict by putting pressure on U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf and causing economic damage to the West", - the report states.