Daijiworld Media Network - Kuwait City
Kuwait City, Apr 3: Kuwait has said that a power and desalination plant was struck in an attack blamed on Iran, as Gulf nations continue to face retaliatory strikes on the 35th day of the United States-Israel war on Iran.
Kuwaiti authorities said the facility was hit before midday on Friday, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. The strike came hours after the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery was targeted in early morning drone attacks.
According to the state news agency KUNA, the refinery attack triggered fires in several operational units, though no employees were injured. Emergency teams and environmental experts were deployed to contain the situation and monitor air quality.
Reports said this was the third time the refinery has been targeted, with authorities placing the country on high alert. Sirens were sounded across Kuwait as air defence systems intercepted missiles and drones midair.
Kuwait, located just about 80 km from Iran’s coastline, remains highly vulnerable to such attacks. The country is also heavily dependent on desalinated water, raising concerns over critical infrastructure damage. Earlier on March 30, an Indian national was killed in a similar strike on a power and desalination plant.
Iran has denied carrying out the attacks, instead blaming Israel.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, the UAE Defence Ministry said it was responding to a fresh wave of suspected Iranian missile and drone attacks. Debris from intercepted projectiles caused a fire at the Habshan gas facility, leading to suspension of operations.
The UAE said its air defences intercepted 19 ballistic missiles and 26 drones in a single day, though authorities indicated that hundreds of missiles and thousands of drones have been launched towards the country since the conflict began. At least two service members have been killed and 191 people of various nationalities injured.
Saudi Arabia reported destroying a drone in its airspace, while Bahrain sounded missile alarms multiple times overnight, signalling the widening regional impact of the conflict.
Iran also claimed to have targeted a data centre of Oracle in Dubai, though local authorities dismissed the claim as false. Earlier, Amazon Web Services confirmed that two of its data centres in the UAE were directly hit, with another facility in Bahrain damaged by a nearby drone strike, causing limited disruptions.
Meanwhile, Iran warned of further escalation. Military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Tehran could target regional power plants and infrastructure linked to US companies if attacks on Iran continue. The warning came as US President Donald Trump signalled the possibility of intensified strikes on Iran’s infrastructure.