Drone strikes spread across the Gulf and Iraq as regional tensions escalate

Drone attacks hit Kuwait’s airport fuel tanks, Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter and multiple targets in Iraq’s Kurdish region, killing at least two people and injuring others, as regional violence linked to Iran-backed militias intensifies

|
Firefighters were combating fires at fuel tanks in Kuwait International Airport early Sunday morning, as well as at a government high-rise building in Kuwait City, according to state-run Kuwait News Agency.
Kuwait's Defense Ministry said that fuel tanks at the airport were directly hit in a drone attack.
The official social security agency's headquarters in the capital was also hit by a drone, authorities said.
At the same time, flight-spotting platform, Flightradar24, showed flights headed to the Saudi capital of Riyadh have been diverted or are returning to their points of origin over the last few hours.
The Saudi Defense Ministry has said it is responding to drone attacks on Riyadh.
2 View gallery
מתקן ה-CIA בריאד נפגע מכטב"ם
מתקן ה-CIA בריאד נפגע מכטב"ם
CIA facility in Riyadh hit by drone
A drone attack targeted Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter where the U.S. Embassy and other foreign missions are located.
The ministry said the attack was thwarted without casualties or damage.
A drone strike targeted Irbil International Airport in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, killing one security personnel and wounding another person, a local governor said.
Loud explosions were heard by Associated Press journalists in Irbil, and smoke was seen rising from inside the airport. Sirens sounded as warplanes flew overhead, and authorities reported several drone or missile interceptions over the facility.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident comes amid a wave of drone and missile strikes linked to Iranian-backed Iraqi militias across Iraq and the region, including attacks on oil fields and the cargo section of Basra International Airport.
An Iranian strike also injured one person, damaged shops and hit a facility near a seaport in Bahrain.
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said early Sunday that missile fragments fell onto a road in Manama, injuring one person and causing damage to several shops, prompting Civil Defense teams to secure and evacuate the affected areas.
The ministry also said that Iran targeted a facility near Mina Salman, a seaport in Manama, where Civil Defense is working to control a fire that broke out following the strike
2 View gallery
Damage at a compound housing offices and warehouses used by U.S. firm Halliburton after a drone attack in Basra, Iraq on March 7
Damage at a compound housing offices and warehouses used by U.S. firm Halliburton after a drone attack in Basra, Iraq on March 7
Damage at a compound housing offices and warehouses used by U.S. firm Halliburton after a drone attack in Basra, Iraq on March 7
(Photo: Essam al-Sudani/Reuters)
Several drones struck three different areas in Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, local media reported. One person was killed in one of the attacks, according to an official with one of the Kurdish Iranian dissident groups.
Two drones hit a building in the Sulaymaniyah city center, an area that houses offices and commercial buildings, including a United Nations compound. Live footage shared by local outlets showed a building engulfed in flames, while another video appeared to show air defenses engaging drones overhead.
Three other drones targeted Force 70, a Peshmerga unit of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan headed by Bafel Talabani, son of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and a senior Kurdish political leader. One drone also fell near Sulaymaniyah International Airport. No casualties were immediately reported.
Separate drones targeted positions of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, killing one person, according to an official with the group, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the press.
The strikes come amid a surge in drone activity targeting cities in Iraq's northern Kurdish region.
Meanwhile, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a press briefing Sunday in Beijing that "this is a war that shouldn't have happened, and is one that doesn't bring any benefit to anyone."
China's foreign minister called on major powers to "play a constructive role" and for an immediate end to military actions.
At the same time, Human Rights Watch is calling for a war crime investigation into the Feb. 28 blast that killed more than 165 people, mostly children, at a school in Iran.
In a statement released Saturday, the rights group said the pattern of strikes at the compound indicates the attack was carried out by "highly accurate, guided munitions."
The school was inside a Revolutionary Guard compound, but was walled off from the paramilitary facility and had a separate entrance, Human Rights Watch said.
Satellite images, expert analysis, a U.S. official and public information released by the U.S. and Israeli militaries have suggested that the explosion was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes.
"A prompt and thorough investigation is needed into this attack, including if those responsible should have known that a school was there and that it would be full of children and their teachers before midday," said Human Rights Watch researcher Sophia Jones. "Those responsible for an unlawful attack should be held to account, including prosecutions of anyone responsible for war crimes."
Comments
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
""