Daijiworld Media Network - Kuwait City
Kuwait City, Jul 13: Kuwait and Bahrain issued emergency security alerts on Monday after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched missile and drone attacks against US military installations in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for recent American airstrikes in southern Iran.
The Kuwaiti Armed Forces said they were engaging hostile aerial targets within the country's airspace and urged the public to follow official safety instructions.
In a statement posted on X, the military said any explosions heard by residents were likely the result of air defence systems intercepting incoming threats and appealed to citizens to remain calm and comply with directions from the authorities.
Bahrain also activated its emergency warning system, with the Ministry of Interior confirming that sirens had been sounded across parts of the country. Residents and citizens were advised to stay calm and move immediately to the nearest safe location until further notice.
The heightened alert followed a statement from the IRGC, carried by Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), claiming responsibility for a series of retaliatory strikes after US forces reportedly conducted airstrikes in southern Iran over alleged attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the IRGC, the operation began after Iranian forces intercepted two vessels that it alleged had switched off their tracking systems and entered the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorised route.
The IRGC claimed the first wave of attacks targeted the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan using missiles and drones.
It further stated that the second phase struck the US military's facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, alleging damage to helicopter maintenance facilities, a hangar housing a P-8 electronic warfare aircraft, and the command centre overseeing US drone operations.
The Iranian force also claimed that subsequent strikes targeted American military bases in Kuwait. It alleged that fuel storage tanks and a Patriot air defence system at Ali Al Salem Air Base, along with an FPS strategic radar system at Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base, were destroyed.
Additionally, the IRGC asserted that its ground forces attacked a US surface-to-surface missile base in Kuwait, claiming to have destroyed two HIMARS missile launchers and missile ammunition depots.
Iran reiterated its position that the Strait of Hormuz falls within its territorial domain and declared that it would not tolerate what it described as unlawful foreign military interference in the strategic waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world's most vital maritime routes, handling a significant share of global oil exports and commercial shipping. Any escalation affecting the passage has the potential to disrupt international trade and trigger volatility in global energy markets.