The latest
The U.S.-Iran confrontation in the Gulf entered a more dangerous phase on Wednesday morning after Kuwait said its international airport was hit by Iranian drones, causing injuries and major damage to the terminal building.
The attack was part of a wider barrage that Washington said included missiles and drones launched toward Kuwait and Bahrain, where U.S. forces and sensitive military facilities are based, including the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama.
Details
• Kuwait’s Defence Ministry spokesperson said hostile drones targeted Terminal 1 at Kuwait International Airport, causing serious material damage and injuring several people.
• Kuwait’s civil aviation authority suspended flights to and from the airport and diverted traffic to alternative airports until further notice.
• Kuwait’s military said air defences responded to missile and drone attacks, and urged residents not to panic if they heard explosions caused by interception systems.
• U.S. Central Command said Iran launched missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain. According to the U.S. account, two missiles fired toward Kuwait fell short of their target, while U.S. and Bahraini forces intercepted missiles headed for Bahrain.
• The IRGC targeted the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters and a regional airbase, in an apparent attempt to widen pressure on America’s military presence in the Gulf.
• CENTCOM said it carried out “defensive” strikes on Iranian radar and drone command sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island, after Iran downed a U.S. MQ-1 drone over what Washington described as international waters.
• The IRGC said its strike on the Panaya vessel was retaliation for a U.S. attack on an Iranian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.
What to watch
The key question now is whether Washington responds militarily to the attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, or limits itself to defensive action to keep diplomacy from collapsing.
For Kuwait, the stakes have changed. It is no longer only intercepting threats over its airspace. A civilian aviation facility has now been directly hit, raising the political and security cost of the confrontation across the Gulf.
