The King Fahd Causeway Authority said movements across the 25-kilometer bridge, the only road link between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, were halted in response to security alerts issued through the kingdom’s early warning systems.

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said it had intercepted ballistic missiles aimed at the Eastern Province, without providing further details on the origin or scale of the attack.

The causeway is a critical transport and economic corridor linking Bahrain host to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet to the Arabian Peninsula, and its closure underscores rising regional risks tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

The development comes as Donald Trump has set a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a ceasefire, warning of potential strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and power facilities, if demands are not met.

Regional tensions have intensified in recent days, with missile interceptions reported across Gulf states and increased security measures implemented to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas.

Air defense systems were activated following the first barrage, with police and emergency services responding to several locations in the Tel Aviv area.

Israeli media, citing medics, reported that four people sustained light injuries. Police said officers were deployed to multiple impact sites, with local reports indicating as many as nine locations affected.Israeli media said the spread of damage across a relatively wide area suggested the possible use of cluster munitions, which detonate mid-air and disperse smaller bomblets.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the type of munitions used.Less than two hours after the initial attack, the military reported a second wave of missiles launched from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across large parts of northern and central Israel. In a subsequent statement, authorities said residents were permitted to leave protected shelters, indicating that the immediate threat had subsided.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage linked to the second barrage.The attacks follow a separate missile strike on Wednesday that injured 14 people, including a child, according to Israeli emergency services, as residents prepared for the Passover holiday.

The exchange underscores escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, with both sides having previously accused each other of employing cluster munitions in the conflict.

In a statement released late on Saturday, the ministry’s Hong Kong office said Commissioner Cui Jianchun met U.S. Consul General Julie Eadeh on March 27 and conveyed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to the alert, calling on the United States to stop intervening in Hong Kong matters “in any form.

”The dispute follows recent amendments to Hong Kong’s national security enforcement rules, which make it an offence in national security cases to refuse to provide passwords or other assistance to access electronic devices.

In response, the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong issued a public alert on March 26 advising U.S. citizens to contact the consulate if they are arrested or detained in connection with the updated rules.

The alert highlighted concerns over the expanded scope of enforcement powers under the revised framework.The U.S. Consulate General did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.

The exchange underscores ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington over Hong Kong’s governance and legal environment, particularly since the introduction of national security measures that foreign governments have said could affect civil liberties and legal protections.

Chinese authorities have consistently defended the measures as necessary to safeguard stability and national sovereignty, rejecting external criticism as unwarranted interference.

A fuel reservoir at Primorsk caught fire after a drone strike, Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said on Telegram. Separately, Ust-Luga operations were halted due to a drone alert in the surrounding area, the sources said.

Both ports, located in Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region, handle the bulk of the country’s seaborne crude oil and refined fuel exports from its western outlets, making them critical nodes in Russia’s energy supply chain.

The suspensions underscore growing vulnerabilities in Russia’s energy infrastructure as drone attacks increasingly target logistics and export facilities. While the extent of damage and the expected duration of the halt were not immediately clear, any prolonged disruption could tighten export availability from Baltic routes.

Transneft, Russia’s state-controlled oil pipeline monopoly that operates both Primorsk and Ust-Luga, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Primorsk and Ust-Luga serve as key gateways for Russian crude and petroleum products destined for international markets, particularly in Europe and beyond via maritime routes. Interruptions at these ports can affect shipping schedules, storage logistics and broader supply balances.

The incidents come amid heightened geopolitical tensions and a pattern of attacks on energy infrastructure, raising concerns over the resilience of supply networks and potential knock-on effects in global oil markets.