Kuwait, Bahrain activate air defense systems
Kuwait’s military said it was responding to ongoing missile and drone attacks. “Kuwaiti air defense systems are currently responding to enemy missile and drone attacks,” the military said in a statement on the X website, without disclosing the source of the launches.“The Kuwaiti Armed Forces General Staff confirms that any explosions that may have been heard were the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks,” it added.Bahrain activated an air-raid warning and directed residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official guidance. Bahrain’s foreign ministry condemned the attack in a strongly worded statement and accused Iran of violating the sovereignty of the two Gulf states.“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns yet another attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the sister state of Kuwait,” the ministry said.Bahrain described the attacks as “blatant aggression” and said they were a serious violation of international law and the two countries’ territorial sovereignty.According to Iran’s state-run Islamic News Agency, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the attacks targeted Ali Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where U.S. troops are stationed, and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.The latest exchanges come amid an intensifying confrontation between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz, a key thoroughfare for global oil and gas shipments.The U.S. military said it struck multiple Iranian coastal surveillance radar stations, including one on an island in the Strait of Hormuz, “to defend against further attacks.”
US says it launched seven missiles
Iran launched seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain on Friday, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The U.S. military intercepted six of the missiles, while the seventh failed to hit its target. The military said there were no reports of injuries to U.S. military personnel.The missile launch followed an earlier U.S. operation in which four Iranian drones were shot down as they headed toward the Strait of Hormuz. “Attack drones pose a direct threat to regional maritime traffic,” Central Command said.Despite the renewed violence, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the situation. “The situation with Iran seems to be going well,” Trump told reporters on Friday.“We are going to withdraw our troops from Iran very quickly and in any way, whether it’s on paper or a very hard way, it’s going to be very powerful,” he said. “The very hard way is probably the easier way, but we will get out there and fertilizer prices will fall significantly, just like they did four months ago,” he added.
Regional tensions remain severe
Tensions also remain high on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Israeli forces launched new attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing nine people, the Lebanese state news agency reported.The conflict in Lebanon remains closely linked to wider regional diplomacy, with Iran insisting that any lasting ceasefire arrangement must address fighting involving the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.Meanwhile, the United States has stepped up pressure on Tehran, imposing new sanctions targeting its energy sector and intercepting a sanctioned oil tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean.
