Kuwait on Monday, 13 July confirmed that its armed forces are actively intercepting hostile aerial targets within Kuwaiti airspace, as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a multi-phase retaliatory assault on US military bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait following American airstrikes on southern Iran. Bahrain simultaneously sounded air-raid sirens, urging residents to seek shelter immediately.

Kuwait Army Confirms Active Air Defence Operations

The Kuwait Army posted a public alert on X, stating: 'The Armed Forces are currently confronting hostile aerial targets within Kuwaiti airspace. The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds, if heard, are the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile attacks. Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.'

The statement confirmed that air defence systems were actively engaged, signalling that projectiles — missiles or drones — had entered Kuwaiti airspace. Authorities urged citizens and residents to follow official safety instructions without specifying the number or type of incoming threats.

Bahrain Sounds Sirens, Ministry Urges Calm

Bahrain's Ministry of Interior issued an urgent advisory on X, stating: 'The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.' The alert came as the IRGC claimed its second phase of operations had targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain — specifically striking helicopter maintenance facilities, a hangar housing a P-8 electronic warfare aircraft, and the command-and-control centre for US drone operations at the base.

IRGC Claims Four-Phase Retaliatory Operation

The IRGC said it launched the retaliatory campaign on Sunday after the US military struck multiple locations in southern Iran. Washington said those strikes were in response to Iranian forces intercepting two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz — ships that, according to the IRGC, had switched off their tracking systems and taken an unauthorised route through the waterway.

According to the IRGC, the operation unfolded in four phases. The first targeted the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan using missiles and drones. The second struck Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. The third and fourth phases focused on US military installations in Kuwait — specifically the Ali Al Salem Air Base, where the IRGC claimed to have destroyed fuel storage tanks and a Patriot air defence system, and the Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base, where it claimed to have destroyed an FPS strategic radar system.

The IRGC further claimed its ground forces attacked a US Army surface-to-surface missile base in Kuwait, reportedly setting two HIMARS missile launchers and ammunition depots ablaze before destroying them entirely, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA. These claims have not been independently verified.

Strait of Hormuz at the Centre of the Escalation

The IRGC described the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian territory and vowed not to allow what it called a 'rogue, child-killing army from the other side of the world to continue its illegal interference there.' The strait is one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, through which a significant share of global oil and commercial shipping passes. Any sustained disruption to navigation there carries major consequences for international energy markets and global trade.

This is among the most direct military confrontations between Iran and the United States in the Gulf in recent years, and the situation remains fluid. The coming hours will be critical in determining whether the exchange escalates further or diplomatic channels are activated to contain it.