Kuwait says air defences destroy hostile drones, facilities damaged
Kuwait City, Aug 1
Kuwait said on Saturday that its armed forces had detected and destroyed hostile drones in the country's airspace, while several vital installations were targeted in what it described as "Iranian aggression."
The drones, which had been detected since early Saturday, targeted several vital installations, including a government facility in northern Kuwait and civilian vehicles on Bubiyan Island, said the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces in a statement posted on social media platform X.
Falling debris caused material damage, with no casualties reported, according to the statement.
Earlier on Saturday, the General Staff said air defence systems were intercepting hostile targets, adding that explosions heard across the country were caused by the interceptions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Kuwait has faced repeated drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, which its authorities have attributed to Iran.
The attacks occurred amid escalating regional tensions and a growing Iran-US confrontation that is spilling over into regional states.
On Friday, the Kuwaiti Army said that "hostile drones" entering the country's airspace and targeting several vital and military facilities were detected and destroyed.
The falling debris caused material damage, with no casualties reported, it said, attributing the attacks to Iran. It did not specify the number of drones destroyed, the targeted sites, or the extent of the damage.
The incident came amid renewed exchanges of airstrikes between the United States and Iran after days of pause, as well as the emergence of a new Red Sea front involving Yemen's Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
One person was killed in northern Kuwait on Thursday during an Iranian attack, the Kuwaiti military said.
According to Kuwait's armed forces and the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait, the attack resulted in the death of a Nepalese driver employed by a subcontractor of a Chinese company in the region and caused property damage to the company.
On Thursday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the IRGC fighters attacked the US air base in Ali Salem in Kuwait, setting fire to and destroying two drone hangars and a fuel tank for aircraft and military helicopters, Sepah News Agency reported.
Last week, the IRGC said its forces had struck and completely destroyed a "very large" US ammunition depot at Ali Al Salem Air Base with "advanced and ultra-heavy" kamikaze drones.
It added that its forces also attacked facilities housing US forces at the base, causing casualties.
According to the IRGC, its forces completed an earlier military operation against the data centre of US company Amazon in Bahrain, destroying its remaining building.
It further claimed to have demolished three US ammunition and equipment depots at the Al-Adiri Camp in Kuwait, and struck the watchtower of the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, causing significant damage.
— IANS
Reader Comments
My brother works in Kuwait and the anxiety we feel every single day is unbearable. Why do innocent civilians have to pay for geopolitical games between Iran and the US? The international community needs to step in before this spirals completely out of control. 🕊️
I remember when the Gulf was considered a safe haven for Indian workers. Now look at it - drones, missiles, falling debris everywhere. PM Modi should convene an emergency meeting with all stakeholders including Iran and the US. India has good relations with both sides, so we can play a mediating role.
Honestly, I'm tired of reading about "Iranian aggression" from Kuwaiti sources. Don't get me wrong, I condemn all attacks on civilians, but we need to ask why Iran is striking US bases in Kuwait in the first place. The US has had boots on the ground there for decades. This is like a chain reaction - the Gulf states are being used as battlegrounds for someone else's war.
The Gulf cooperation council should be doing more to protect its own airspace instead of relying on foreign powers. If Kuwait and other GCC states had a robust indigenous air defence system, they wouldn't be at the mercy of every drone that crosses their border. Self-reliance is the only way forward. 🇮🇳
Absolutely deplorable that a Nepalese worker lost his life because of someone else's proxy war. The least the international community can do is ensure the family gets proper compensation. These conflicts always hit the poorest and most vulnerable hardest. Staying silent is not an option.
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