Iran targeted US allies in the Gulf for a second consecutive night, launching drone attacks at Kuwait and Bahrain after the United States carried out overnight airstrikes on Iran on Wednesday.
Following a series of attacks Wednesday, air raid sirens sounded in Kuwait early Thursday as the country's air defenses intercepted missiles and drones in what the Ministry of Defense described on X as a “blatant Iranian aggression.”
Iranian state media reported that one of the US strikes in Iran on Wednesday hit a wedding gathering, killing at least four people and wounding dozens.
Fighting between the United States and Iran has intensified this week after the US struck Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Washington said Iran was preparing to use the launchers to deploy mines in the strategic waterway. Iran responded by firing missiles at US bases in Jordan, all of which were intercepted.
Here is a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
US strike hits a wedding party
The US Central Command said its strikes targeted Iranian military facilities, including air defense sites, radar systems and maritime assets.
However, Iranian media reported that one of the US strikes hit a house in Kuhestak, a small coastal town overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, where a wedding was taking place.
Iran's state news agency IRNA and state television reported Wednesday that four people — two women and two children aged 4 and 16 — were killed and at least 68 others were wounded.
Shortly after the strike, Ahmad Nafisi, the province's deputy governor, told Iranian state television that five people had been killed. No explanation was given for the later revision of the death toll.
The US military said it was aware of the report but maintained that it “never targets civilians.”
Iran targets US allies in the Gulf
Bahrain said its air defense systems intercepted several Iranian attacks early Wednesday, although it did not provide further details.
Iranian state media reported that Iran's military launched drone attacks targeting US bases in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the overnight US strikes.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said the attacks were carried out in self-defense and in response to what it described as US violations of Iran's sovereignty.