Iranian strike damages Kuwait power and water plant

Kuwait announced Friday that one of its power generation and water desalination plants had been struck by an Iranian attack, causing significant damage as fighting across the Middle East continued to escalate.

"One of the power and water distillation plants was the target of an attack as part of the Iranian aggression... resulting in a fire, damage, and the impairment of several production units," Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said in a statement, urging residents "to ration their electricity consumption during this exceptional period."

Kuwait Fire Force teams brought the blaze under control, while technical and emergency teams began assessing the damage, securing the facility and working to restore the affected units, the ministry said, adding that crews were operating around the clock to maintain the stability of the national grid.

The strike carries particular weight for Kuwait, where nearly 90 percent of drinking water comes from desalination, making such facilities critical national infrastructure. Any prolonged disruption could have an immediate impact on daily life in the small Gulf nation.

The attack came as Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched a new wave of retaliatory strikes on US facilities across the region, including targets in Kuwait and, for the first time, inside Syria, following a sixth consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian military sites. 

Kuwait's military said its air defense systems intercepted incoming missiles and hostile drones overnight, and urged the public to follow safety instructions from the authorities.