Kuwait says its air defenses intercepting missiles, drones
Kuwait City, July 21
Kuwait said its air defence systems were responding to "hostile" missile and drone threats on Tuesday, with warning sirens activated across the country.
In a statement on social media platform X, the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces said that any explosions heard were the result of interceptions and urged the public to follow safety instructions from relevant authorities.
State news agency KUNA reported that sirens had been activated as the response to aerial threats continued.
Recent strikes on Kuwait targeted military installations and some vital infrastructure, including oil facilities and power and water desalination plants, causing injuries and material damage, according to Kuwaiti authorities.
The United States has carried out multiple waves of strikes on Iran in the past week, saying the operations were aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping" in the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Iran has targeted US bases and facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan with missiles and drones.
Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said in a statement that several power generation and water desalination plants in Kuwait were attacked on Monday evening, triggering fires at multiple facilities.
As a precaution, several electricity-generating units were taken offline to protect equipment and maintain the stability of the country's electricity and water supply systems, the ministry said, adding that damage assessment, repair and rehabilitation work are underway.
The ministry did not specify the number or locations of the affected plants, nor did it report any casualties.
Recent strikes on Kuwait have targeted some vital infrastructure, including oil facilities and power and water desalination plants, according to Kuwaiti authorities.
On Tuesday, the Jordan Armed Forces said its air defence systems intercepted and shot down three Iranian missiles. It said in another statement that it "neutralised" five drones launched from Iran overnight and Tuesday morning.
No casualties or damage were reported, the statements said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies, including India's crude imports. This conflict is spiraling and civilians always bear the brunt. Hope sanity prevails soon.
Remember when wars were between armies? Now it's power plants and water desalination. This is modern warfare's ugly face. Our Indian diaspora in Kuwait must be terrified. Stay safe everyone. 🙏
As someone who works in energy sector, this hits close to home. Those desalination plants are lifelines in the Gulf. Iran needs to understand that targeting civilian infrastructure isn't going to help their cause. This needs to stop before it escalates further.
While I understand the strategic importance, I wish India would take a stronger stand. Our foreign policy seems too cautious sometimes. We have lakhs of citizens in Gulf countries - their safety should be our top priority. 🇮🇳
The fact that Jordan also had to intercept missiles shows how wide this conflict has spread. Iran's drone and missile capability is clearly significant. But attacking civilian infrastructure like power plants is never acceptable. Just tragic.
This reminds me of the 1990-91 Gulf crisis
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