Saudi Arabia suspends traffic on King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain

Saudi Arabia suspended vehicle traffic early Tuesday on the King Fahd Causeway linking the kingdom with Bahrain, citing precautionary measures, authorities said.

The King Fahd Causeway Authority said in a statement that the suspension was "precautionary" following alerts issued in recent hours by the National Early Warning Platform in the Eastern Province, where the bridge is located.

The National Early Warning Platform is an electronic system used to issue alerts to residents during security or weather emergencies.

As of 0530GMT, Saudi authorities had not issued an update on when traffic would resume.

Earlier Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed seven ballistic missiles launched toward the country's Eastern Province.

Debris from the missiles fell near energy facilities, and damage assessments are underway, the ministry said.

Regional escalations have continued to rage since Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.