Iran claims strikes on US military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan after American attacks
Iran says it launched attacks targeting US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan on Wednesday, expanding regional tensions after American forces struck Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for a series of drone and missile operations against what it described as US military assets across the three countries.
According to a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC targeted the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and a military facility near Azraq in Jordan. Iranian authorities claimed that 21 targets were attacked and that four were successfully destroyed, including a hangar allegedly used to house F-35 fighter jets at the Jordanian base.
The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate confirmation from US officials regarding the reported damage.
The latest exchange follows a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran. Earlier, US forces launched strikes on Qeshm Island and several facilities along Iran's southern coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The operation came after Washington accused Iran of being responsible for the downing of a US Apache helicopter.
Iran said the American strikes damaged civilian infrastructure, including a telecommunications tower in the coastal town of Sirik and several water storage facilities.
As reports of the Iranian operation emerged, regional militaries moved quickly to activate air defense systems.
Jordan's armed forces said they intercepted and destroyed five missiles heading toward the Azraq area, adding that debris fell in unpopulated locations and caused neither casualties nor significant material damage. The military described the operation as a defensive measure aimed at protecting the country's airspace and population.
In Kuwait, authorities reported the interception of what they described as hostile aerial targets.
Bahrain also activated emergency warning systems as air raid alarms sounded across parts of the kingdom amid concerns that regional military installations could come under attack.
The Iranian military additionally claimed that its air defense units had shot down a US MQ-9 surveillance drone over the southern Iranian city of Jam, though Washington had not commented on the assertion.
With AP inputs