Madras Times - Deadly drone strike on Kuwait airport as Iran, US trade fire

The attacks marked one of the more severe tests yet of a fragile April 8 ceasefire that has largely held despite sporadic strikes, a pause after more than a month of war sparked by the US and Israeli attack on Iran.

Kuwait's military dubbed the attack on the airport an act of "criminal Iranian aggression", while Iran's Revolutionary Guards accused US forces of provoking the strikes by targeting a tanker and a communications tower on the country's Qeshm Island.

The Kuwaiti foreign ministry condemned an attack "that once again targeted vital and civilian infrastructure ... killing one person and injuring others." An airport source told AFP that the deceased was an Indian national at the airport.

Health ministry spokesman Abdullah al-Sanad said 25 ambulances were dispatched and that 63 people were treated for injuries "including head wounds, cerebral hemorrhages, amputations and injuries resulting from explosions."

Kuwait suspended air traffic after the attack and diverted arriving planes to other destinations, but later restarted Kuwait Airways flights. The international airport has been targeted several times during the war, and had only fully resumed operations on Monday.

- 'Not normal' -

Hassan Sheikh, a 40-year-old Pakistani resident of Kuwait who lives near the airport said he heard explosions throughout the night. "For the first time, my children felt how serious the situation was and that this was not normal," he said.

With Bahrain also complaining of overnight drone attacks from Iran, the United Arab Emirates moved to rally its Gulf neighbours in opposition to Tehran.

"In light of Iran's repeated aggression against ... Kuwait and Bahrain, a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf stance is imperative," UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash posted on social media.

"This aggression does not just target one country, it targets us all."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards did not claim the attack on the civilian airport, but accused Kuwait and Bahrein of enabling US attacks from their soil and declared they had targeted a different location, "the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which hosts helicopters."

The Iranian supreme leader's military adviser, Mohsen Rezaei, said: "Every shot fired and every attack will be met with a deluge of missiles and drones ... the aggressor will swiftly be punished".

- 'Broke apart' -

Earlier, the US military said it had "successfully defeated" a series of Iranian missile and drone attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain and confirmed it had conducted strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.

"Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defence forces," Centcom said.

Bahrain authorities said they had intercepted three Iranian missiles and a number of drones.

The escalation came after US, Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Washington for direct talks on ending the parallel conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the militant group was the only impediment to deal.

The Lebanese embassy in Washington said would at first only cover Israeli attacks on Beirut and Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory, before expanding in scope.

Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since the group dragged Lebanon into the wider Middle East war by attacking Israel on March 2 in support of Iran.

Neither side has publicly accepted the deal, and senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati told AFP in a written statement that the group "will not accept a partial ceasefire".

- Interception -

Rubio said Washington wanted the talks to remain independent of those with Iran to end the wider Middle East war.

But Iran has repeatedly linked the two conflicts and on Monday said that Israel's expanding campaign in Lebanon risked ending the US-Iran ceasefire in place since April 8.

In recent days, Israeli troops staged their deepest ground offensive into Lebanon in two decades.

Lebanon said an Israeli strike hit a target near Beirut on Wednesday, while a medical source told AFP six people were killed as Israel pounded the country's south.

The Israeli army, meanwhile, said it intercepted a "hostile aircraft" that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, the first such infiltration reported by the military in more than 24 hours.

Israeli officials have warned the military will strike Beirut's southern suburbs if Hezbollah launches projectiles targeting Israeli communities in the north, a stance they say has backing from Washington.

Hezbollah did not immediately claim any attack on northern Israel.

N.Mukherjee--MT