Missile and Drone Strikes Hit Kuwait Desalination Plant and Oil Refinery

Kuwait Power and Desalination Plant Attacked by Iran

A power and desalination plant in Kuwait has been targeted by an Iranian attack, according to reports. The incident occurred before midday local time on Friday, but the extent of the damage is not yet known.

The attack comes amid a series of retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries, which have been engaged in a war with Iran since the United States and Israel launched their military campaign on April 1. Other countries in the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, have also reported being targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks.

In Kuwait, emergency teams were dispatched to the scene of the attack, while environmental authorities monitored the area around the refinery to track air quality. Authorities denied reports of a possible radiation leak.

The Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery was also targeted in early morning drone strikes, resulting in fires at several operational units but no injuries reported. The UAE’s defense ministry reported that it had intercepted 19 ballistic missiles and 26 drones on Thursday alone, while Saudi Arabia destroyed a drone in its airspace overnight.

Iran denied claims of launching the attacks and blamed them on Israel. Earlier this week, Amazon Web Services confirmed that two of its data centers in the UAE were directly struck by Iranian missile fire, with a third in Bahrain damaged by a nearby drone strike. The attacks resulted in localized disruption to AWS’s servers.

The United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry reported that it was battling a new wave of alleged Iranian missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain sounded missile alarms three times. Saudi Arabia also reported intercepting a drone in its airspace overnight.

Source: Al Jazeera