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Kuwait hit in retaliation
Iran fired at Kuwait on Thursday as part of its retaliation for U.S. bombardments earlier in the week, and sirens sounded in Kuwait early Thursday while air defenses intercepted missiles and drones.
“Iran fired at Kuwait on Thursday as part of its retaliation for U.S. bombardments earlier in the week.”
The Defense Ministry said the interceptions were during a “blatant Iranian aggression,” and it linked the episode to U.S.-Iran fighting that has increased after the U.S. hit Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance rejected the use of the word “war” to describe the U.S. fighting with Iran, saying “Right now, there is no active shooting.”
Vance said the U.S. had a “responsibility” to carry out this week’s strikes because Iran continues the targeting of commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping data cited in the coverage showed the Strait of Hormuz remained below pre-war levels, with last week’s 102 transits compared with 126 the week before, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
Funeral, investigation, and claims
Vance said he was briefed on the reported attack at a wedding on Tuesday that Iranian state media said killed five people and injured dozens of others, and he said “we’re investigating it very fully.”
He added that the U.S. never targets civilians in combat but said “sometimes things happen,” while Capt. Tim Hawkins previously said the U.S. military was looking into the reports.
Iranian state TV reported that hundreds of mourners attended the funeral Thursday of four victims of the airstrike, and it said a person injured in the attack had died, increasing the death toll to five.
In Kuwait, the Defense Ministry’s post on X described the intercepts as responding to a “blatant Iranian aggression,” after Bahrain and Jordan said their air defense systems also intercepted several Iranian air attacks Wednesday.
The coverage also described a dispute over Gaza casualties, with Shifa hospital officials saying Israeli attacks killed three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old child, while the Israeli military said it “identified two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line.”
Gulf stakes and escalation
The reporting tied the renewed cycle of strikes to the Strait of Hormuz, where ship traffic remained below pre-war levels because of the risk of Iranian attack if ships do not comply with an Iranian vetting regime.
“Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. allies and military bases across the Middle East early Wednesday”
Vance said the U.S. was investigating reported airstrike that hit an Iranian wedding, while the same coverage emphasized that the U.S. strikes were carried out in retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Hill reported that Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. allies and military bases across the Middle East early Wednesday, with Tehran saying it targeted U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq.
It also said the Revolutionary Guard claimed it launched missiles and drones at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, claiming it destroyed a command post, drone facilities and several other drones.
In Israel’s and Gaza coverage, the same AP briefing described how Israeli attacks killed one Palestinian in Gaza City and critically wounded two others later in the day, while the Israeli military said it had taken “operational control” of the Ali Taher ridge area in southern Lebanon.