KUWAIT CITY/MANAMA: Kuwait and Bahrain said early Saturday that their armed forces were responding to fresh missile and drone attacks, marking the second time in less than a week that the two Gulf states have come under fire amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
“Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks,” Kuwait’s military said in a statement posted on X, without immediately identifying the source of the projectiles.
The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces later said any explosions heard across the country were the result of interception operations by air defense systems.
In neighboring Bahrain, authorities issued an air raid alert and urged residents to seek shelter after reports of incoming threats and Kuwait’s announcement that it had intercepted missiles and drones.
“The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said.
A satellite image shows damage to infrastructure at Kuwait International Airport following a strike in Kuwait City onJune 3, 2026. (Distribution Airbus DS/Handout via Reuters)
The attacks came hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf.
According to CENTCOM, US forces first shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones headed toward the Strait of Hormuz, saying the aircraft posed an immediate threat to maritime traffic through one of the world's most strategically important energy corridors.
Iran subsequently launched seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, CENTCOM said. Initial assessments indicated that six of the missiles were intercepted while a seventh failed to reach its intended target.
In response, US forces struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island, which CENTCOM said were being used to support maritime attacks and threats to shipping in the Gulf.
The latest exchange underscored the fragility of a tentative ceasefire and ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, with regional tensions remaining elevated despite diplomatic efforts to extend a truce between Washington and Tehran.
The new attacks also followed a major drone strike on Kuwait International Airport on June 3 that killed one person, wounded dozens and caused significant damage to a passenger terminal, briefly disrupting operations at one of the Gulf's busiest aviation hubs.
Iran claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks earlier this week targeting US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including facilities associated with the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The strikes prompted widespread condemnation from Gulf and Arab states, which accused Tehran of violating the sovereignty of neighboring countries and destabilizing the region.
Saudi Arabia strongly denounced what it described as repeated Iranian attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain, while the Gulf Cooperation Council called the strikes an unacceptable escalation and a threat to regional and international peace.
The UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon also condemned the attacks, expressing solidarity with the two Gulf states and urging efforts to prevent a broader regional conflict.
The latest developments come as Washington intensifies military and economic pressure on Tehran while attempting to preserve a ceasefire that has come under increasing strain from repeated attacks across the Gulf and renewed violence in Lebanon.
With air defense systems once again activated in Kuwait and Bahrain, military activity continuing around the Strait of Hormuz, and US and Iranian forces exchanging fire for a second time this week, concerns are mounting that the confrontation could expand into a wider regional conflict and threaten one of the world's most critical energy transit routes.
(With AP, Reuters and AFP)
