US, Iran trade blows as Gulf allies targeted

Bahrain and Kuwait intercepted seven Iranian missiles, while Bahrain also destroyed several drones, officials said. It was the second attack on both Gulf states since Wednesday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted “enemy bases” with missiles after the US military said it struck radar sites in Iran and downed drones headed towards the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Bahrain, home to the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, denounced the attacks against its territory and neighbouring Kuwait as “blatant aggression” and “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of both countries”. In Bahrain’s capital Manama, an AFP journalist reported hearing three explosions, while the interior ministry said air raid sirens had sounded across the country. Later, Bahrain’s military said its air defences had “successfully intercepted and destroyed three missiles and several drones”. Kuwait also condemned the attacks, calling them a “direct threat” to the lives of citizens and residents and a “dangerous escalation” at a time when the international community was making efforts to stop combat operations. In Kuwait, an AFP journalist reported hearing repeated blasts near the country’s international airport, which had been struck on Wednesday in an attack blamed on Iran that killed one person. “We woke up to a h