Bahrain says air defenses intercept, destroy Iranian aerial attacks

Bahrain’s military said Thursday its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian aerial attacks targeting the kingdom.

In a statement, the Bahrain Defense Force said its air defense systems “successfully intercepted and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks” early Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said warning sirens had sounded across the country over the possibility of an attack and urged the public to seek shelter in safe locations.

Kuwait also activated warning sirens, the official KUNA news agency reported.

The developments came after Iranian media reported a new wave of US strikes late Wednesday targeting several locations in southern and southeastern Iran.

Earlier Thursday, Iran’s army said it had targeted infrastructure at US military bases in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain in response to recent US attacks on Iranian territory.

US Central Command said American forces had launched additional strikes against Iran to further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Bahrain has hosted the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet since 1995 and is home to thousands of US military personnel.