Air-raid sirens sounded in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain on Thursday, as Iran said it targeted U.S. military assets with missiles and drones in retaliation for American strikes on the Islamic Republic.
A Jordanian military source told Amman’s official Petra News Agency that air defenses intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran on Thursday afternoon. Debris from the interceptions fell in several areas, causing no casualties or damage, according to the report.
The Jordanian air-raid sirens were heard in some Israeli border communities in the Jordan Valley, according to Hebrew media.
The U.S. Embassy in Amman confirmed reports that “missiles, drones or rockets are in Jordanian airspace” and called on Americans in the country to “seek overhead cover and shelter in place immediately.” The mission added, “Remain indoors and pay attention to local announcements and alerts. The U.S. Embassy in Jordan will continue to review the situation and provide additional information as needed.”
A flight from Ethiopia to Tel Aviv was forced to turn around amid the missile attacks, Channel 12 News reported.
In Kuwait, a Defense Ministry spokesperson said the country’s armed forces intercepted three ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and 10 drones launched from Iran on Thursday.
“The interceptions resulted in material damage after debris fell at several locations across the country. One person was injured and is receiving the necessary medical treatment. The injured person’s condition is stable,” said spokesman Col. Saud Abdulaziz al-Atwan.
The Bahrain Defence Force said it had “successfully confronted, intercepted and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks.”
Manama stressed that “the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday morning that a “security threat” in the country had ended and that the situation had returned to normal.
The state-run Qatar News Agency reported that the ministry said the threat had been completely eliminated. It did not specify the nature of the threat.
Tehran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday vowed to continue to “punish” the United States, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran would “defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity” following the U.S. strikes in the country.
“The evil and psychotic U.S. ruling regime has resorted to vulgarity, fabrications and military aggression,” the ministry charged in a statement, accusing Washington of “breach of faith, baseness, warmongering and wickedness.”
The American military struck about 90 military targets in Iran on Wednesday in response to Tehran’s continued attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Targets included “air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline,” U.S. Central Command said late Wednesday.
“The latest strikes follow successful execution of offensive strikes in Iran the night before,” CENTCOM said. The strikes “further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.
