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Precautionary emergency protocols were triggered as air raid sirens were activated across Bahrain for a second time within an hour, prompting authorities to renew public safety warnings amid escalating regional friction.
In an official statement issued in a post on X, Bahrain's Interior Ministry told people, for the second time in the past hour, to "remain calm and head to the nearest safe place". The renewed activation of emergency warning networks underlines the high-alert state in the Gulf nation, following recent hostile projectile incursions and drone threats targeted at strategic assets in the region. In a significant geographical expansion of the ongoing West Asian conflict, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a drone attack against the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and warned of a "more severe response" if American military operations against Iranian territory continue, according to Tasnim News Agency. Detailing the overnight operation, the Iranian broadcaster stated, "IRGC Navy forces launched a drone attack at 2:30 a.m. against the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain," citing an IRGC statement. It warned that should what it described as US "aggression" continue, it would face consequences of greater severity. Providing specific details regarding the preceding American strikes on its soil, the paramilitary force outlined its version of the material impact in southern Iran. "The warmongering US regime attacked several points in Jask, Sirik and Qeshm early this morning under false pretexts, damaging a telecommunications mast in Sirik and destroying two water tanks in the city," the IRGC said, as quoted by Iranian media. It added that clashes were continuing. The retaliatory drone strike on Bahrain came hours after US Central Command confirmed that American Air Force and Navy fighter jets had struck Iranian air defence installations, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz using precision munitions. Detailing the objective behind the aerial campaign, CENTCOM described the operation as "a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters," and said US forces "remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression." The high-stakes American strikes were themselves triggered by Iran's downing of a US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter near the coast of Oman on Monday. Providing an update on the personnel involved, CENTCOM said both crew members were rescued and are in stable condition. Prior to the heavy aerial exchanges, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had earlier warned Washington that Tehran's armed forces would leave "no attack or threat unanswered", writing on X: "Leave our region if you want to be safe." The hostile incursion marks the very first time in the current round of military exchanges that the IRGC has directly targeted the command base. The US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, oversees American naval operations across the Middle East, including in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea. The direct military confrontation has been ongoing since late February 2026, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury. (ANI)
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