Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt condemn Iranian attack on Bahrain - as it happened
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- Iran launched a six-drone attack targeting a US air defense radar at the Al-Rifaa helicopter base in Bahrain, which was intercepted by Bahrain’s air defenses, marking the second such strike in three days after a two-month lull.
- Bahrain, hosting the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, condemned the attacks as violations of its sovereignty and international law, with neighboring Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt expressing solidarity and condemning Iran’s actions.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the strikes were retaliation for recent US military actions against Iranian naval sites and accused the US of aggression, while the US maintains a naval blockade and continues low-level strikes to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi forces are pressuring the Saudi-backed government around Aden, forcing Yemeni government troops to withdraw from the Bab el-Mandeb area, a critical Red Sea shipping chokepoint.
- Israel confirmed the killing of a senior Hamas commander involved in planning the October 7 attacks in an airstrike on a Gaza refugee camp, amid ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire.
