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Kuwait plant hit
An Iranian aerial attack damaged a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait on Friday, sparking a fire and causing damage at some of the plant's facilities and several electricity generation units.
“Iran strike damages Kuwait power, desalination plant: What to know Kuwait, the world’s most water-stressed country, urged residents to reduce electricity and water use following the attack”
Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said firefighting teams brought the blaze under control and that technical teams were working to restore the affected units while monitoring the stability of the electricity grid.
The ministry did not specify the location of the plant, but it urged residents to rationalize consumption of electricity and water “during this exceptional period.”
The attack came as tensions between Iran and the United States intensified, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming it had hit a US military base in Kuwait and with Kuwait repeatedly summoning Iranian diplomats to protest missile and drone attacks on its territory.
Condemnation and claims
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Iranian attack, saying it violated the country’s sovereignty and its security, and warning that “The continuation of this aggressive approach constitutes an extremely dangerous escalation.”
In parallel, the IRGC issued a statement announcing the execution of the “15th wave of Operation Nasr 2,” claiming its missile and drone strikes hit several US troop deployment sites and what it termed “counter-revolutionary mercenaries of America and Israel.”
The Associated Press, quoting Kuwaiti officials, said the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone strikes caused significant damage to the plant’s power generation units, with assessments of the total impact still underway.
Kuwaiti officials also said the fire was contained and that technical teams were repairing the damaged equipment to restore it to the grid, while efforts to monitor the stability of the national power network remained ongoing.
Water vulnerability stakes
The strike raised concerns over disruptions to electricity and water supplies in Kuwait, where the ministry said residents should reduce electricity and water use “during this exceptional period.”
“Iranian strike damages a Kuwait desalination plant, exposing water vulnerability in dry Mideast Iranian strike damages a Kuwait desalination plant, exposing water vulnerability in dry Mideast Iranian strikes on Friday hit a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait, damaging one of the key sources of drinking water in the small desert nation”
Al-Monitor reported that some 90% of Kuwait’s drinking water demand comes from desalination, and it said the country operates eight major coastal water desalination plants with a combined operational capacity of more than 2.2 million cubic meters per day.
The Independent framed the damage as hitting “one of the key sources of drinking water in the small desert nation,” noting that Kuwait’s authorities said the strikes damaged a large number of power generation units and sparked a fire that was contained.
The Washington Post quoted analysts describing the attack as crossing “a particularly dangerous threshold because it threatens a basic civilian necessity,” while also tying the wider escalation to control of the Strait of Hormuz and the vulnerability of smaller Gulf states’ water infrastructure.
