Iran has launched a significant wave of attacks against US allies throughout the Middle East, marking an escalation as the renewed conflict with the United States enters its second week. The strikes, which involve missiles and drones, have targeted critical civilian infrastructure and military facilities across the region.
Kuwait has formally accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilian sites, including a vital power and water desalination plant. The country, which relies on desalinated water for approximately 90% of its drinking water, was forced to briefly close its airspace to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones. Officials reported that several Kuwaiti firefighters and a worker were injured while attempting to extinguish blazes sparked by the attacks. Additionally, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation confirmed that an oil facility was targeted, resulting in significant material losses and multiple injuries.
In response to the regional instability, Bahrain activated its air sirens on Saturday, urging residents to seek shelter following the detection of potential incoming projectiles. Meanwhile, Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency reported that the kingdom’s air defense systems successfully intercepted and downed Iranian missiles. The Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, condemned the strikes as “war crimes,” describing them as a grave violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for several actions, including the destruction of two US fighter aircraft and three other planes during an attack on a US base in Azraq, Jordan. The IRGC also stated they had hit a US military support center at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and destroyed a US radar facility at the Ali Al Salem airbase. Furthermore, Iranian state media reported that the IRGC targeted an intelligence datacentre and a site housing US combat aircraft at the Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain. Separately, the IRGC alleged that two oil tankers in the strait of Hormuz exploded after hitting mines, a claim the US military has dismissed as false.
US Central Command confirmed that its own military operations, which began seven days ago, continued overnight to degrade Iranian military capabilities, specifically targeting surveillance sites, logistics infrastructure, and weapons storage. Iranian media reported explosions in the cities of Ahvaz, Sirik, and Yazd. According to the Iranian health ministry, US strikes have resulted in 50 deaths and over 500 injuries since the hostilities began. Maj Gen Mohsen Rezaee, a senior military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, warned that Tehran would initiate “full-scale offensive operations” if US strikes persist for another two or three days, stating that Iran would no longer limit itself to retaliatory responses.
