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Kuwait said its armed forces intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones targeting military facilities early on Friday, with no casualties reported, as Tehran claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had targeted a US air base in retaliation for recent American strikes on Iranian territory.
In a statement, Kuwait's Defence Ministry said the armed forces detected several "hostile drones" in the country's airspace from dawn after what it described as an Iranian attack targeting "vital and military facilities."
"The hostile targets were engaged and destroyed. This resulted in material damage due to falling shrapnel, without any human casualties being recorded," ministry spokesperson Col. Saud Abdulaziz al-Atwan said.
The ministry did not identify the facilities targeted but said the drones were intercepted before they could reach their intended objectives.
Iran's military later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched drone strikes against strategic US military assets at Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait.
According to Iranian state media, including Press TV and Tasnim, Iran said it targeted fighter aircraft shelters, satellite communication systems and equipment warehouses at the air base.
Iranian state media also released footage that it said showed drones being launched toward Kuwait.
Tehran said the strike was retaliation for US attacks on Qeshm Island a day earlier. Iranian state media reported that the strikes hit a residential building, killing three members of a family.
Iran also described Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base as a key hub for US aerial surveillance and military operations in the region.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) did not immediately comment on Iran's claims.
The drone strike marks the latest escalation in the conflict between Washington and Tehran, which has increasingly spread beyond direct military exchanges between the two countries.
Iran has previously targeted US military infrastructure in neighbouring countries in response to American strikes on its territory. Earlier this week, Tehran claimed responsibility for ballistic missile attacks targeting US military facilities in Jordan, while Jordanian authorities said their air defence systems intercepted the incoming projectiles.
The United States has carried out repeated strikes on Iranian military targets in recent weeks, including facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the country's southern coastal regions.
Iran has said those operations are intended to weaken its strategic position around the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments typically pass. Iranian authorities have also maintained restrictions on shipping through the waterway since the conflict escalated.
The growing instability has also affected shipping routes and security across the wider Middle East.
Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced plans for a multinational maritime coalition to help protect international shipping in the Red Sea following a series of attacks on commercial vessels.
Egypt also said preliminary investigations indicated that a drone attack caused a fire that damaged two ships at the Mediterranean port of Damietta earlier this week, although no group has claimed responsibility.
