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Bahrainis and expatriates have been glued to their smartphones for official information about Iranian airstrikes on the kingdom, writes Zainab Almahdi.
The first blasts were heard over Juffair this morning as the US Air Base was hit by a missiles. Many residents fled on foot from the area and leapt into their cars for safer ground.
The authorities attempted to calm the community with useful alerts and messages of advice and reported that no-one was injured or killed in the strikes.
Explosions continue to be heard and felt across the country, as some missiles were intercepted by the Bahrain Defence Forces (BDF) air defence system. Smoking rocket debris was seen on the roads around Sanad and East Riffa.
At 11:28am, the Interior Ministry issued an alert about a hazard and sirens were activated. Around 20 minutes later, at 11:48am, multiple explosions were heard from the US Navy Base, as smoke rose from a service centre.
As residents vacated Juffair - they were later evacuated by the authorities - many headed to petrol stations to fill up their tanks and stocked up on supplies from supermarkets.
Another wave of explosions began at 12:35pm, with five bangs being heard, and another wave at 1:04pm, a fourth wave occurred at 2:42pm. Sirens sounded again 3:25pm.
Air space has been closed above Bahrain and flights to and from the kingdom diverted or cancelled.
The Interior Ministry appealed to motorists to allow emergency vehicles to pass, to drive safely and abide by traffic laws.
A Filipino expatriate, who lives two blocks from the US base, recounted to the GDN experiencing the first explosion. “My balcony’s door was open when the first blast happened. Three to four seconds after hearing it, I felt the shockwave of the explosion,” the 43-year-old said.
“Everyone was on the street soon afterwards. I took my passport with me just in case, and evacuated with another family to a mall in Saar.
“It felt like the movies, but it’s so scary to experience first-hand. I was shaken, I never expected that this would happen in lovely, peaceful Bahrain.”
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