Iran Launches Retaliatory Strikes on US Bases in the Middle East, Kuwait and Bahrain on High Alert
Iran once again launched retaliatory strikes targeting a number of American military facilities across the Middle East in the early hours of Monday (20 July). The attacks triggered heightened vigilance in several Gulf states, including Kuwait and Bahrain, which immediately activated emergency measures.
The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces confirmed that the country’s air defence systems were confronting drone attacks launched from Iran.
In a post on the X platform, the Kuwaiti military explained that the sounds of explosions heard in several areas came from air defence systems intercepting aerial threats.
The military also asked the public to remain calm and comply with all safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities while the situation persists.
In Bahrain, the Ministry of Interior announced that air-raid warning sirens had been activated as a precautionary measure. The government urged residents not to panic and to head immediately to the nearest shelter.
The appeal was conveyed through an official statement on the X platform as Iran unleashed a wave of attacks on a number of targets across the region.
In addition to striking areas hosting American military facilities, a missile was also reported to have hit the headquarters of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
According to a report by the Iraqi news agency Shafaq News, the group accused Iran of being responsible for the attack.
Komala, whose official name is the Kurdistan Toilers’ Party, is a left-wing Iranian Kurdish opposition group founded in 1969 that has for many years operated from Iraqi Kurdistan.
The group stated that since the war between the United States and Israel against Iran broke out, its various facilities have come under repeated attack.
According to Komala’s statement, its headquarters and assets have been hit by more than 91 missile and drone attacks since the conflict began.
This latest wave of attacks has further deteriorated the security situation in the Middle East and heightened fears that the conflict could spread to more countries in the region, especially after tit-for-tat actions between Iran and the United States escalated once again in recent days.
Kuwait’s electricity and water desalination facilities were once again targeted by Iranian attacks on Sunday (19 July). This second wave of strikes triggered fires and widespread damage.
Kuwait accused Iran of targeting civilian infrastructure after air strikes hit power plants, water facilities and oil refineries amid an escalation of the war.
Iranian missile and drone attacks damaged Kuwait’s water desalination facilities, threatening the national drinking water supply amid rising regional tensions.
Kuwait and Bahrain reported new drone attacks from Iran targeting military bases and civilian facilities amid tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Patriot air defence system is an American-made system designed to detect, track and destroy missiles.
Iran claimed it was attacking American targets in retaliation for Washington’s air strikes. Bahrain condemned the alleged Iranian drone attacks amid a fragile ceasefire.
Iran and the United States subsequently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) electronically on 18 June to end the military conflict.