Several Middle East countries activated their air defense systems and sounded air-raid alarms on Sunday, as Iran launched a series of strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
These attacks were countermeasures in response to the third round of strikes against Iran by the United States on Saturday.
Missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar also came under attack.
The UAE Defense Ministry said Sunday that its air defense systems were engaging missile and drone threats, while Bahrain's Interior Ministry urged residents to remain calm and proceed to the nearest safe location.
Qatar's Ministry of Interior issued a public alert raising the country's security threat level. It also said that three people were injured by falling shrapnel, including one child. So far, injured people have been hospitalized for treatment.
Jordan also initiated its air defense system. The country's General Command of Armed Forces noted on Sunday that three missiles from the direction of Iran landed in multiple locations within Jordan. Although no casualties were caused, the strikes resulted in minor property damage.
Middle East countries activate defense systems, sound alarms as Iran's strikes U.S. targets
Middle East countries activate defense systems, sound alarms as Iran's strikes U.S. targets
The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.
The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.
The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.
In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.
This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.
A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.
A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.
This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.
CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival
