Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain and Kuwait's air defences engaged "hostile" missile and drone attacks on Wednesday, after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes on American military installations in both Gulf states.
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said on X that "the siren has been sounded," urging citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place, though it did not immediately specify the cause of the alert.
The siren has been sounded .Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) July 8, 2026
Kuwait's army similarly confirmed its air defences were "currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks," noting that any explosions heard would be the result of its systems intercepting the threats, and calling on the public to follow safety instructions from the relevant authorities.
تتصدى حالياً الدفاعات الجوية الكويتية لهجمات صاروخية وطائرات مسيرة معادية.
— KUWAIT ARMY - الجيش الكويتي (@KuwaitArmyGHQ) July 8, 2026
تنوه رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش أن أصوات الانفجارات إن سمعت فهي نتيجة اعتراض منظومات الدفاع الجوي للهجمات المعادية.
يرجى من الجميع التقيد بتعليمات الأمن والسلامة الصادرة عن الجهات المختصة.… pic.twitter.com/nhXrpThL4T
The IRGC said its naval and aerospace forces had carried out a joint missile and drone operation targeting 85 sites, describing them as "important US military facilities."
According to Al Jazeera, the strikes were aimed specifically at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and the Ali Al-Salem air base in Kuwait, which the Guard Corps framed as an "initial response" to what it called US violations of the ceasefire and the Islamabad agreement.
The attacks followed a fresh round of American strikes on Iranian territory overnight, with CENTCOM confirming it had hit more than 80 targets in response to Iran's attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
Iranian officials said sites in Qeshm Island, Sirik and Bandar Abbas were struck, with some of the locations described in Iranian media as civilian infrastructure, including fishing piers and a telecommunications tower.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation of the cycle of retaliation that has repeatedly threatened the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran on 17 June, following a similar pattern of strikes and counter-strikes in late June.
There has been no official word yet on flight disruptions at Kuwait or Bahrain's airports, though both countries host major aviation hubs and US military assets that have previously seen air traffic affected during earlier rounds of hostilities.
ALSO READ: 'Era Of Bullying, Extortion Is Over': Iran's MB Ghalibaf Warns US After It Hits 80 Targets
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