Tensions Flare: Iran Launches Missile and Drone Strike on Bahrain

The Bahraini military announced its air defence systems successfully intercepted and destroyed a barrage of Iranian missile and drone attacks on Wednesday, local time. Manama labelled Tehran’s latest aerial assault as a “criminal” attack. The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force, as reported by the Bahrain News Agency, accused Iran of “continuing its systematic hostile approach through criminal missile and drone attacks, targeting civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain.” The General Command stated that all of its weaponry and defence units are at the highest levels of readiness and defensive preparation to protect the territory of Bahrain. The General Command urged its citizens to exercise extra caution amidst the latest developments, calling on the public “to be wary of foreign or suspicious objects, originating from the remnants of Iran’s brutal attack, and to avoid approaching or handling them and to report them immediately.” The command further stressed that relevant personnel are fully prepared to safely handle the debris, ensuring the safety of all citizens and residents of Bahrain. “The General Command stresses that the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” the Bahrain Defence Force said in its statement. The statement came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had launched a drone attack on the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain in the early hours of Wednesday, at approximately 02:30 local time. In its announcement, the IRGC also claimed to have attacked the Ali Al Salem base used by U.S. forces in Kuwait with drones, and targeted four locations in the al-Azraq base complex housing U.S. forces in Jordan with long-range missiles. The IRGC even claimed that 21 U.S. military targets across the Middle East were struck by its forces. The IRGC asserted that its attack was retaliation for a U.S. assault that targeted areas in Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm in the southern region of the country. U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, had previously announced that U.S. fighter jets struck Iranian air defence systems and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, in response to the downing of a U.S. military-operated Apache helicopter in a prior incident. CENTCOM also stated that its forces had completed what it termed a “self-defence” strike against Iran.