Iran strikes Gulf countries after US launches ‘powerful’ strikes; Kuwait confirms missile and drone attack, Bahrain sirens blare

The United States on Wednesday struck dozens of targets in Iran in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly after, amid reports of Tehran’s retaliatory actions in the Gulf region, air raid sirens were activated across Bahrain and Kuwait as tensions continue to escalate.

Kuwait confirms missile, drone attack

Kuwait said it is responding to “hostile missile and drone attacks”, amid escalating conflict in the Gulf region. In a statement, the Kuwaiti army appealed to residents to remain calm and follow all safety and security instructions. The military said blasts heard nationwide were the result of successful interceptions carried out by its air defence systems. The confirmation comes after air raid sirens were sounded across the country amid the rapidly worsening regional situation.

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Air raid sirens blaze in Bahrain

Air raid sirens have also been activated across Bahrain, with the country’s Ministry of Interior urging residents to move to the nearest safe place. “The siren has been sounded,” the ministry says on X, without giving details of the apparent threat. “Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”

Iran claims it struck 85 US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that the country’s naval and aerospace forces launched a joint missile and drone attack targeting 85 US military-linked facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. According to the IRGC, the strikes struck the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and Kuwait’s Ali Al-Salem Air Base.

IRGC further called the operation an “initial response” to what it described as a violation of the ceasefire by Washington and the Islamabad agreement following US air strikes on coastal bases and non-military sites in Mahshahr and Hormozgan earlier on Wednesday. The force alleged that America launched what it called ‘powerful’ strikes to overshadow the funeral procession of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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