Did US launch missiles at Iran from Bahrain? Video raises questions – What we know
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Did US launch missiles at Iran from Bahrain? Video raises questions – What we know")
Screengrab from viral video. Photograph: (X/@visegrad24)
A video claimed to show missiles being launched from Bahrain toward Iran, possibly using a US HIMARS launcher, raising questions over Gulf bases being used in the ongoing West Asia war.
A video emerged on social media showing what seems to be the first known instance of an attack originating from the Persian Gulf targeting Iran since the war began on February 28. According to a video verified by the New York Times, ballistic missiles were launched from Bahrain towards Iran. The Gulf nation is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The video, which was filmed close to a residential area and an airport in northern Bahrain, according to the Times, shows two missiles being fired, leaving smoke trails in the sky as they head toward Iran.
According to the report, at least one of the missiles was fired from a US-made launcher, M142 HIMARS. It was likely that the US military launched the projectiles. While Bahrain has said that its military “has not participated in any offensive operations”, it has not commented on whether it would allow the United States to launch attacks on Iran from its territory.
Since the beginning of the war, Iran has retaliated against the US and Israeli attacks by targeting their bases in the region, accusing Tehran’s neighbours of allowing their territories to be used for launching attacks by the American forces.
Most of the Gulf nations have denied Iran’s claims and have suggested they would not allow their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran. However, most of them host US military bases in their territories.
Since the war began after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran has sent more than 100 missiles and 191 drones to Bahrain, according to the Bahraini government.
“Bahrain has been subjected to an unacceptable series of unprovoked missile and drone attacks from Iran,” the government said in a statement to The Times. The statement added that while Bahrain’s military “has not participated in any offensive operations,” it reserves the “right to respond.”
On Thursday (Mar 12), Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first statement since the start of the war in West Asia, demanded that his neighbours “shut down” US bases in their territory that are being used to launch strikes on Iran.
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“The countries of the region must clarify their stance regarding the aggressors against our dear homeland and the killers of our people. I recommend that they shut down those bases as soon as possible, for they must surely have realised by now that America’s claim of establishing security and peace has been nothing but a lie,” he said.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
