Kuwait Intercepts Iranian Attack, Closes Airspace Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
The Kuwaiti military reported that its air defence systems intercepted “hostile aerial targets” detected in its airspace on Thursday, forcing authorities to temporarily close the country’s airspace following an attack launched from Iran. The attack on Kuwait came after the United States launched a new wave of strikes against several targets in southern Iran. Washington claimed the strikes were an act of “self-defence” against “unprovoked aggression” from Tehran.
“The General Staff of the Army announces that the air defence system is currently dealing with hostile aerial targets, in accordance with established operational procedures,” the Kuwaiti military said in a statement. The military urged “everyone to comply with the security and safety instructions and guidelines issued by the relevant authorities, and to obtain information from official and reliable sources.”
In a separate statement, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced the temporary closure of Kuwaiti airspace, effective from 04:50 local time, until “the danger has been eliminated.” The authority also diverted flights to alternative airports. “These measures were taken in light of the Iranian attack on the State of Kuwait and the potential risks it poses to civil aviation in the region,” the statement read. It added that the airspace would be reopened and traffic resumed as soon as the situation ended and the cause of the danger was removed, based on assessments by the relevant authorities.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated sharply in recent weeks as the US and Iran have resumed trading attacks and accusing each other of violating a fragile ceasefire in place since early April. Iran’s military has threatened a “devastating and decisive” response to any US aggression in the Middle East. Tehran’s threat came after Washington launched a new wave of strikes against “Iranian military reconnaissance capabilities, communication systems, and air defence sites across Iran,” which the US described as a “self-defence strike.”