When Iran launched a massive wave of retaliatory missile strikes against US and Israeli targets across the Middle East on Saturday morning, thousands of Pune residents living in the Gulf found themselves in the middle of an unfolding conflict- watching interceptions light up the sky, receiving government alerts on their phones, and stocking up groceries as a precaution. The strikes came hours after the United States and Israel bombed sites in Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz early on Saturday. US President Donald Trump, announcing what he called ‘major combat operations,’ said the objective was to destroy Iran’s missile industry and naval capabilities. The attack comes after US-Iran negotiations, which had been ongoing for several weeks, failed. Iran responded with an unprecedented wave of strikes targeting Israel and US military bases across the region, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Dubai. For Pune residents in these countries, Saturday became a day of anxious waiting. Bahrain Mahesh Ghorpade, a Pune-origin accounting professional who has lived in Bahrain for a decade, was among the first to …