Airspace closed: Kuwait halts flights after Iranian drone strike forces airport shutdown
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Airspace closed: Kuwait halts flights after Iranian drone strike forces airport shutdown")
Kuwait International Airport Photograph: (Credit: AFP)
Kuwait has suspended all flights and closed its international airport following an Iranian drone attack, amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Gulf.
Kuwait announced the closure of its international airport after an Iranian drone strike on Wednesday (June 3). The incident has injured several individuals, forcing the suspension of air traffic. Concurrently, Bahrain and the US reported that they successfully intercepted a separate Iranian assault directed at Bahrain. These latest strikes severely test an April 8 ceasefire. The truce had largely maintained stability despite the engagements following the war, which was originally triggered by US and Israeli military operations against Iran.
Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Saud Al-Atwan said in a statement said, “Hostile drones struck Kuwait International Airport's Terminal One, injuring a number of people & causing damage, the Ministry of Defence confirmed Wednesday, after the country came under Iranian aggression late last night." Brig Gen Al-Atwan noted that those injured in the incident are receiving necessary medical care. He condemned the incident as "criminal Iranian aggression."
Following the incident, Kuwait’s state news agency announced that civil aviation authorities halted all air traffic and redirected incoming flights to alternative regional airports.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) blamed the US for targeting a communications tower on the Iran's Qeshm Island. They have not explicitly claimed that they targeted Kuwait's airport.
"In response to this aggression, their air base and helicopters located in one of the countries in the region, as well as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, were attacked by missiles and drones from the IRGC Aerospace Force," the Guards said, as quoted by news agency AFP.
This strategic transportation hub had already sustained multiple strikes throughout the conflict and had only returned to full operations on June 1. As a wealthy, oil-producing US ally, Kuwait has frequently been targeted since late February, when US and Israeli forces struck Iran and assassinated its senior leadership. Tehran has consistently justified these actions by accusing Kuwait and neighbouring Gulf nations of permitting American military forces to launch offensive operations from their territories.
