Bahrain and Kuwait Conduct Airstrikes on Iranian Military Sites

Bahrain and Kuwait carried out airstrikes on Iranian drone and missile sites earlier this month in direct retaliation for Iran strikes on US military bases hosted in Gulf states. [2] The Wall Street Journal reported that the two countries targeted drone and missile storage facilities along with other military sites. [2] Sources familiar with the matter indicated that Bahrain and Kuwait were unwilling to allow continued attacks without a response despite their relatively small air forces equipped with US and European aircraft. [2]

Gulf States Launch Direct Strikes on Iran

Bahrain and Kuwait conducted the airstrikes earlier this month according to the Wall Street Journal. [2] The targets included drone and missile storage facilities among other military sites inside Iran. [2] The United Arab Emirates provided intelligence on the targets and defensive air cover for the strikes. [2] This involvement signaled emerging Arab cooperation against Iran. [2] Saudi Arabia had joined the United Arab Emirates in strikes against Iran at an earlier stage of the war but is now reassessing its position. [2] Oman and Qatar have pursued a balanced policy between Iran and the West and have shown little willingness to confront Tehran directly. [2] Anadolu Agency also reported on the Wall Street Journal account of Bahrain and Kuwait carrying out strikes inside Iran earlier this month. [3]

Iranian Attacks on US Bases in the Region

Since February 28 Iran has repeatedly responded to US and Israeli attacks by targeting US military sites in Bahrain Kuwait Saudi Arabia Qatar the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. [1] Iran's military said on Friday it carried out drone strikes against several American facilities and bases in Bahrain Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for the latest US attacks against the Islamic republic. [5] Many Iranian attacks on Kuwait were recorded on July 17 and shared by Iraqis in the border region. [1] A video shared on Telegram on July 16 documented an Iranian strike on Kuwait filmed from the Iraqi border city of Umm Qasr. [1] Rare footage from Bahrain documented an Iranian attack on a US military site on July 13 2026. [1] Satellite images released by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps showed several strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan with the images posted on July 20 2026. [1]

Bahrain and Kuwait fighter jets conducted airstrikes on Iranian military sites earlier this month. — Source: jerusalempost

Evidence of Strikes Despite Official Denials

Available imagery contradicts many official claims that Iranian attacks were intercepted. [1] After an Iranian drone attack on Bahrain on June 10 the Bahraini government said it had intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks. [1] A single blurry photograph enabled geolocation of a strike on an important US radar installation on Al-Dukhan Hill in Bahrain. [1] A comparison of European Sentinel-2 satellite images from July 7 and 12 shows evidence of a direct hit on Al Udeid a US military base in Qatar. [1] On July 11 the Bahraini government claimed to have intercepted missiles and drones yet a photo and video shared on Telegram that same day showed a road with black smoke rising in the distance geolocated to Al-Isa Airbase. [1] The attack on Isa Airbase was confirmed by a fire detected by the NASA fire detection satellite and also European low-resolution satellite imagery Sentinel-2. [1] Satellite images released by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps show direct hits from Iranian attacks despite denials by Jordanian authorities. [1]

Crackdown on Documentation and Expression

Across the region authorities have pursued repressive policies against anyone documenting the impact of Tehran’s attacks. [1] According to Amnesty International more than 1,000 people have been arrested across these US-allied states. [1] Between May 20 and May 26 more than 300 people were arrested in Bahrain alone. [1] At least 34 people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 10 years for sharing a photograph or video on Instagram according to local human rights groups. [1] In Kuwait more than 200 people received either suspended sentences or prison terms ranging from one to 10 years between April and May. [1] In the UAE authorities announced the arrest of 375 people in March. [1] Emirati police conducted door-to-door searches and inspected phones in areas where drones had struck. [1] Bahrain recently announced that it had revoked the citizenship of 69 people for expressing sympathy with the Iranian attacks or engaging with external parties. [1] Kuwait also announced that it had stripped more than 1,000 people of their citizenship without providing reasons. [1] Gulf countries have used the war as a pretext to expand restrictions on freedom of expression that were already in place before the conflict. [1]

Bahrain and Kuwait conducted airstrikes on Iranian drone and missile sites earlier this month. — Source: anadolu

Motivations for Concealing Attack Impacts

Mahmoud Shalaby a regional researcher at Amnesty International said there are several reasons why these countries want to conceal the impact of the attacks. [1] Since the start of the war some people in these countries have used social media to criticise the presence of US military bases arguing that the attacks on their countries were a consequence of hosting those bases. [1] Concealing the impact of the attacks is one way for governments to counter that argument. [1] The second reason is that it is very important for Gulf states to protect their polished image as safe havens and destinations for foreign investment and tourism. [1] They therefore try to minimise or restrict information about the impact of these attacks. [1] Gulf countries have used the war as a pretext to expand restrictions on freedom of expression that were already in place before the conflict. [1]

Challenges in Independent Verification

The US has also prohibited satellite-imagery companies from providing updated images of these countries. [1] As a result journalists and researchers have largely had to rely on rare short videos posted online despite the risks lower-resolution European satellite services such as Sentinel-2 Iranian satellite imagery and images supplied by some Chinese companies. [1] Shalaby said the crackdown was undermining the ability of media and researchers to document these attacks. [1] No ground-level images have emerged in several cases and neither the Qatari government nor the Pentagon officially confirmed the strike on Al Udeid. [1] The blanket bans imposed by Gulf states go far beyond the requirements of international law during armed conflict. [1]

What to watch next: Iranian attacks continue to target US facilities in Bahrain Jordan and Kuwait amid ongoing US strikes on Iran while Gulf states maintain claims of interceptions despite satellite and video evidence to the contrary.