One person was killed and several others injured when Iran struck civilian facilities in Kuwait on Wednesday, including the international airport and diplomatic missions, in a significant escalation since the April ceasefire.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry confirmed the fatality but did not specify which diplomatic missions had been damaged. The early morning attack caused “severe damage” to Terminal 1 of Kuwait International Airport, the General Civil Aviation Authority said, forcing authorities to divert flights. Kuwait Airways said it would reschedule its Wednesday services, though the civil aviation authority later said the carrier had resumed operations from Terminal 4 after safety assessments were completed.
The strikes mark a sharp escalation for the oil-rich Gulf state, which had seen relative calm since a ceasefire in the Iran war was announced on 8 April. Iran launched a salvo of missiles and drones at Kuwait — a close US ally — as well as at other Gulf states.
The US military said two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart mid-flight, while three missiles aimed at Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahraini forces. A further wave of Iranian drones targeting US forces in Kuwait failed to hit their intended targets, US Central Command said on X, adding that Iranian ballistic missiles fired toward regional neighbours did not strike their targets.
In response, US forces carried out strikes on Qeshm Island and intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
(Reuters)