KUWAIT CITY/MANAMA/BEIRUT/WASHINGTON, June 3 (HS): Iran has signalled its intentions by launching aerial attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain amid ongoing efforts to pursue a peace agreement with the United States. Both Kuwait and Bahrain are key American allies and host US military installations. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has acknowledged targeting American facilities in the two Gulf nations. The development comes as Iran remains angered by continuing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, where Israel has been targeting positions of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Efforts by US President Donald Trump to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the strikes have reportedly yielded no results.

According to reports by the Kuwait Times, Gulf News and Al Jazeera, Kuwait’s air defence systems are actively responding to hostile drone and missile attacks. The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces announced late Tuesday night that the country had come under drone and missile assault. Officials stated that air defence systems were engaged in countering incoming threats. In a subsequent statement, the General Staff said explosions were still being heard in several areas.

The US military mounted a strong response to the attacks. The United States Central Command stated that it had successfully defeated Iranian missile and drone assaults and thwarted an entire series of attacks directed at neighbouring countries. It also confirmed carrying out retaliatory strikes in self-defence on Iran’s Qeshm Island. In a statement, CENTCOM said Iran had launched multiple ballistic missiles toward neighbouring states, but none reached their intended targets. Two missiles fired toward Kuwait reportedly fell short or disintegrated before impact, while three missiles launched toward Bahrain were intercepted by American and Bahraini air defence systems before reaching their destinations.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that emergency sirens were activated after indications of an incoming attack were detected. The ministry also announced the closure of Bahraini airspace and the suspension of civilian flights. Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior urged residents not to approach or handle missile fragments, suspicious objects, or debris resulting from the attacks.

US Central Command further stated that American forces had disabled an empty oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf. According to the command, a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the engine room of the Botswana-flagged MT Lexi, preventing it from reaching Kharg Island. Since the enforcement of the blockade, US forces have reportedly disabled six commercial vessels and compelled 122 others to alter their routes.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that five people, including a child, were killed in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, while 48 others were injured. The ministry stated that those wounded included a doctor and five staff members of the Tebnine Government Hospital. The hospital also sustained damage as a result of the explosions.

The latest developments have heightened tensions across West Asia, raising fresh concerns about regional security, maritime trade routes, and the potential for a broader escalation of the conflict.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar