• Gulf air defenses activated as regional tensions threaten fragile truce
• New attacks come days after deadly strike on Kuwait airport terminal

KUWAIT CITY/MANAMA: Kuwait and Bahrain said early Saturday that their armed forces were responding to fresh missile and drone attacks, marking the second time in less than a week that the two Gulf states have come under fire amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.

“Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks,” Kuwait’s military said in a statement posted on X, without identifying the source of the projectiles.

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces later said any explosions heard across the country were the result of interception operations by air defense systems.

In neighboring Bahrain, authorities issued an air raid alert and urged residents to seek shelter after reports of new US military action against Iranian targets and Kuwait’s announcement that it had intercepted incoming missiles and drones.

“The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said.

The latest incidents came amid renewed military exchanges between Washington and Tehran. Earlier Friday, the US military said it had shot down four Iranian drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as an immediate threat to maritime traffic through one of the world’s most important energy shipping corridors.

US Central Command said American forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites, including positions on an island in the strategic waterway, in what it described as a defensive response aimed at preventing further attacks.

The exchange underscored the fragility of a tentative ceasefire and ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, with regional tensions remaining elevated despite diplomatic efforts to extend a truce between Washington and Tehran.

The new attacks also followed a major drone strike on Kuwait International Airport on June 3 that killed one person, wounded dozens and caused significant damage to a passenger terminal, briefly disrupting air traffic at one of the Gulf’s busiest aviation hubs.

Iran claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks earlier this week targeting US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including facilities linked to the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The strikes prompted widespread condemnation from Gulf and Arab states, which accused Tehran of violating the sovereignty of neighboring countries and destabilizing the region.

Saudi Arabia strongly denounced what it described as repeated Iranian attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain, while the Gulf Cooperation Council called the strikes an unacceptable escalation and a threat to regional and international peace.

The UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon also condemned the attacks, expressing solidarity with the two Gulf states and urging efforts to prevent a broader regional conflict.

The latest developments come as the United States intensifies pressure on Iran through military measures and economic sanctions, while seeking to preserve a ceasefire that has come under increasing strain from repeated attacks across the Gulf and renewed violence in Lebanon.

With air defense systems once again activated in Kuwait and Bahrain and military activity continuing around the Strait of Hormuz, concerns are mounting that further escalation could jeopardize regional security and threaten one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes.

Agencies