Explosions were heard near Kuwait International Airport and in Bahrain's capital Manama on Saturday, AFP correspondents reported, shortly after Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they had struck "enemy bases" in the region.
Manama, Bahrain © Mena Today
Explosions were heard near Kuwait International Airport and in Bahrain's capital Manama on Saturday, AFP correspondents reported, shortly after Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they had struck "enemy bases" in the region.
"Repeated explosion sounds were heard in areas close to Kuwait International Airport," one AFP correspondent reported, while another described "explosions and interceptions" in Manama, where air raid sirens were triggered.
The Iranian strikes came in retaliation for American bombardments of radar installations on Iranian soil, the Revolutionary Guards said — marking a significant escalation in the conflict between Tehran and Washington that has been reshaping the Middle East since February.
The targeting of Gulf states, home to major US military installations, signals that Iran is widening its theatre of operations beyond its immediate borders — a dangerous development for regional stability and global energy markets, given the Gulf's critical role in oil and gas exports.
Further details on casualties and damage were not immediately available.
China has privately asked Tehran to help rein in Yemen's Houthis after an appeal to Beijing by Saudi Arabia following the Iran-backed group's military blitz in the past week, according to three Iranian sources familiar with the matter.
A lightning advance by Yemen's Houthi group has brought the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait under its control, making the once ragged highland militia a regional player with global clout.
Yemenis took to boats in the Red Sea to escape fighting between Iran-backed Houthi fighters and Saudi-backed forces, as the spreading Middle East war created new threats to global oil supplies.
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