One Killed, 63 Injured in Iran Strike on Kuwait Airport
Iran's missile and drone strike on Kuwait International Airport killed one person and wounded 63 others, prompting Kuwait to expel two Iranian diplomats and condemn the attack.
Kuwaiti authorities have condemned the assault as a blatant violation of national sovereignty and international law. In response, Kuwait expelled two Iranian diplomats and demanded a reduction in staff at the Iranian embassy, though it stopped short of military retaliation.
Eyewitness footage circulating online captured extensive damage to the civilian airport facility, with fires burning, debris scattered across the terminal grounds, and panicked civilians evacuating through thick plumes of smoke.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that a second wave of Iranian drones targeting American forces in Kuwait was intercepted Tuesday night. Air defense systems successfully neutralized multiple unmanned aircraft, ensuring no U.S. personnel or military assets sustained damage, the command stated.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry issued a sharp rebuke of what it called the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks employing ballistic missiles and drones against civilian and critical infrastructure, including diplomatic facilities. The ministry emphasized that Kuwait’s security, sovereignty, and the safety of all citizens and residents constitute an absolute red line.
Following the pattern of other Gulf Arab nations targeted by Iran since Operation Epic Fury commenced in February, Kuwait asserted its right under international law to respond appropriately to repeated Iranian aggression.
Wednesday morning saw Kuwait summon Iran’s charge d’affairs, order a diplomatic staff reduction at the Iranian embassy, and give two Iranian diplomats a 24-hour deadline to depart the country.
Hamad Sulaiman al-Mahsaan, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, rejected Tehran’s justifications for the attack as baseless while reaffirming Kuwait’s right to self-defense against future strikes.
A spokesman from Kuwait’s health ministry confirmed hospitals remain on full emergency alert since the Iranian bombardment, with medical teams having completed seven major surgical procedures on attack victims by Wednesday morning.
Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement Wednesday claiming the Kuwait strike was retaliation for U.S. forces disabling an Iranian oil tanker attempting to breach the American blockade and for targeting an IRGC communications tower on Qeshm Island.
The IRGC statement asserted its forces also struck the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and launched missile and drone attacks against what it described as a U.S. air and helicopter base in an unnamed regional country, likely referring to the Kuwait operation.
The Revolutionary Guard’s declaration, released on the 37th anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s death, boasted that enemies are inevitably forced to accept new rules of engagement imposed by Iran’s armed forces. The statement warned that any external military action would trigger a decisive and expanded counter-response.
CENTCOM flatly rejected the IRGC’s claims about striking 5th Fleet headquarters and U.S. airbases as false, emphasizing that all Iranian attacks on American forces had failed.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry released its own statement Wednesday accusing Washington of violating both the fragile ceasefire agreement and international law, attempting to justify Tehran’s reckless attacks on neighboring countries.
The ministry placed direct and explicit responsibility on Kuwait and Bahrain for allowing what it termed colonial use of their territory by U.S. forces conducting operations against Iran. Tehran’s statement accused any nation permitting the use of its land, airspace, waters, or military facilities in support of actions against Iran of violating fundamental principles of international law and neighborly relations.
The general staff of Iran’s armed forces declared Wednesday that the United States and Israel have no option but to surrender in the face of Iranian determination and military strength, as Breitbart News reports. The military command stressed that Iran would not retreat under threats or military pressure.
With information from Breitbart News
