Summary: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps launched over 200 drones at facilities hosting U.S. troops across Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, calling it one of its "first powerful steps" in the ongoing conflict. The attacks resulted in casualties, including the death of an 11-year-old girl in Kuwait, and targeted key infrastructure such as military bases, an oil refinery, and diplomatic posts. Regional defenses intercepted many of the projectiles, but the assaults have led to airspace closures, evacuations, and significant disruptions.
Main Topics Covered:
1. The scale and claimed justification of Iranian drone attacks on multiple countries.
2. The specific targets and impacts in Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
3. Regional defensive responses and the resulting operational disruptions.
4. The context of escalating regional conflict following earlier US-Israeli strikes.
Hundreds of drones target Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE amid Iran war
IRGC says the attacks are among its ‘first powerful steps’ as it continues strikes on US assets in Gulf countries.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday it has fired 230 drones at several facilities hosting US troops in the Middle East, including a base in Erbil in northern Iraq and the Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
The IRGC said the attacks were among its “first powerful steps” in the war, despite Iran having attacked Gulf Arab states for days since Israel and the United States launched their coordinated offensive on Saturday.
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Kuwait’s Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that an 11-year-old girl was killed after being hit by falling shrapnel. “Resuscitation was performed in the ambulance while the girl was being transported to the hospital, and attempts continued for nearly half an hour upon arrival at Al-Amiri Hospital. However, she passed away due to her injuries,” the ministry said on X.
In Iraq, Al Jazeera Arabic reported that a drone targeted a logistical support facility of the US embassy in Baghdad, located near the Baghdad international airport. It followed a similar foiled drone attack on Tuesday near the airport, according to Iraq’s security media cell.
Two drones also targeted a US military base and a hotel in Erbil, in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, security sources told Reuters.
This comes after a building in Sulaimaniyah, in the Iraqi Kurdish region, was hit by a drone strike on Tuesday evening. Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed flames rising from a building amid reports of an explosion.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it intercepted and destroyed a drone in the country’s Eastern Province. It did not immediately provide further details on the drone’s origin or whether the incident caused any damage or casualties.
Later in the day, a projectile hit Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery, the biggest domestic oil refinery operated by Saudi Aramco, according to two sources cited by Reuters. The report comes after Saudi Arabia shut down operations at the plant several days ago after a fire broke out that officials said was caused by debris from the interception of two Iranian drones.
Strikes were also reported in the United Arab Emirates at the US consulate in Dubai and a port in the city of Fujairah.
The UAE’s Defence Ministry said its defences downed three ballistic missiles and 121 drones, while eight drones landed inside the country.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US consulate in the UAE came under drone attacks on Tuesday, and the US State Department said on Wednesday that it had authorised nonemergency government personnel to evacuate.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France’s Rafale jets have neutralised Iranian drones targeting the UAE, where hundreds of French navy, air force and army personnel are based.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 10 drones and two cruise missiles launched from Iran. Qatar Airways said its flight operations remained “temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace”.
Iran began hitting targets in Israel as well as US military assets in Gulf states after initial US-Israeli strikes on February 28, and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Despite the barrage of drones, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Qatar’s capital Doha, said the volume and frequency of the attacks on the Gulf were decreasing.
Yet, “the issue is that it does not take too many attacks to close airspace or cause disruptions,” Basravi said.
“So even if Iran is able to maintain a low level of attacks, that will continue being a problem for the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries caught up in this conflict.”
Meridiano
