Kuwait airport attack kills one, injures at least 63, damages terminal building

Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday as Iranian attacks on Kuwait killed one person, injured at least 63 and damaged the international airport.

Meanwhile, the US military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, and diplomacy to halt the war showed little sign of progress. The attacks sent oil prices up more than 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile attack damaged the Terminal 1 building at the airport and diplomatic missions, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media. It did not say which missions.

The civil aviation authority later said Kuwait Airways was resuming flights from Terminal 4, after evaluating damage and taking safety measures. Kuwait’s military said it had tracked and intercepted 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones in Kuwaiti airspace since dawn on Wednesday, with debris falling in several residential areas.

In Bahrain, the army said it had intercepted three missiles and several drones, as Iran said it had attacked the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in the country, as well as an airbase and helicopters in another, unspecified, regional state.

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The US military said two Iranian missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke up in flight, while several ballistic missiles failed to strike their targets in the region. It also said it had carried out a strike on a tanker heading for Iran.

Kuwait’s military says it engaged 13 missiles and 17 drones

The Kuwaiti armed forces said they had tracked and intercepted 13 hostile ballistic missiles and 17 hostile drones in Kuwaiti airspace since dawn on Wednesday, with debris falling in several residential areas.

They added that Iran had targeted civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, killing an Indian expatriate, wounding several people and causing significant material damage.

Iran blames Kuwait and Bahrain for US attacks and vows self-defence

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned what it described as US attacks on an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and a telecommunications tower on Qeshm Island.

The moves violated a ceasefire understanding and international law, it said.

The ministry said Kuwait and Bahrain bore “direct and clear responsibility” for the attacks, alleging their territory and facilities had been used to support US military operations against Iran.

Tehran said it reserved the right to self-defence and would use all available means to respond, including by targeting the source of any future attacks.

Qatar condemns Iranian attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain

Qatar has condemned Iranian attacks on civilian targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, saying the strikes that damaged Kuwait International Airport and caused injuries violate international law, according to Al Jazeera​​​​​​.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X carried by the Qatar News Agency that the attacks breached the 1949 Geneva Conventions and principles of international humanitarian law, including prohibitions on targeting civilians and civilian objects.

Israel keeps up strikes on Lebanon

The war has killed thousands, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, while causing global economic pain ⁠by severely disrupting energy supplies and other shipping.

It also sparked the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israel pursuing its deepest incursion into Lebanon in 25 years.

Israeli drone strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon and targeted a car just south of Beirut, Lebanese security sources said, while Israel said it intercepted a hostile aircraft likely fired by Hezbollah.

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There was no immediate response from the Israeli military to Reuters questions about the drone strikes, but the attack on the car appeared to mark the closest attack to Beirut since Trump asked Israel not to hit the Lebanese capital, under a US-mediated partial ceasefire announced on Monday.