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The Iranian army has said that it carried out drone strikes against United States strategic centres at the Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait during the 27th stage of Operation Lightning.
According to state broadcaster IRIB's attribution of the Army Public Relations statement, the operation was conducted in response to recent military actions by the United States, specifically citing a strike on a residential home on Qeshm Island. The state broadcaster stated that the strikes targeted "fighter jet nests," "satellite communication systems," and "equipment warehouses" at the Kuwaiti base, which it described as a vital hub for US air support, surveillance, and operations. IRIB further reported that the ongoing widespread attacks by the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have made intercepting drones and missiles difficult and costly for enemy defence systems, alleging that severe censorship is being enforced to suppress reports of casualties and material damage. Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has destroyed two drone hangars, along with a fuel storage facility designated for military aircraft and helicopters, at the US-operated Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, according to a statement reported by Iranian state-owned media. Addressing the citizens of Kuwait on Friday, the IRGC statement affirmed that Tehran's military actions would persist until the complete eviction of US "occupying and looting forces" from the region. The latest escalation in Kuwait follows claims made by Tehran on Thursday regarding a separate retaliatory missile strike on Jordan's al-Azraq airbase. The United States military, however, has refuted Iranian assertions that the strike destroyed American F-35 fighter jets, maintaining that no US aircraft suffered damage and that its forces preserve operational readiness across the region. Responding to the assertion made by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X, "No US aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks." "All missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas," it added.CENTCOM additionally dismissed another Iranian claim alleging that the commercial oil tanker M/T Nora had violated the recently reinstated US blockade on Iranian ports. "More than 20 US warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members remain vigilant and continue to fully enforce the blockade," the command stated. The US rebuttal comes in response to claims issued by the IRGC earlier, in which it asserted that its aerospace forces launched multiple ballistic missiles aimed at a ramp and maintenance facility inside al-Azraq airbase, where US F-35 fighter jets are stationed. Iran stated the action was carried out in retaliation for a US strike on Qeshm Island that allegedly killed two parents and their child. The IRGC had claimed that the missile strikes "completely destroyed" three F-35 fighter aircraft and inflicted "heavy damage" on three additional jets, while further alleging that several enemy officers, along with technical and maintenance personnel, were killed in the attack. "Our region is no place for the infanticidal army that cruelly slaughters innocent families in the middle of the night while they sleep," the IRGC stated, adding that "their struggle, along with Jordan's, will continue until 'the last American occupier is expelled from the Islamic lands'." This airbase attack in Kuwait comes after its defence ministry had earlier condemned what it described as a "heinous" Iranian strike on a building owned by a Chinese company in northern Kuwait, stating one worker was killed and that the attack caused significant structural damage. (ANI)
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