Middle East crisis: Bahrain ‘blocks’ Tehran’s strikes
The first such interceptions by Bahraini air defences since September followed two warnings of potential threats, urging residents to seek shelter. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had attacked a US military base in Bahrain in retaliation for “hostile US actions”, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.
The Bahraini military said its air defences had intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks before they reached their targets, accusing Tehran of continuing its “systematic hostile approach” towards the kingdom. The Revolutionary Guards said they had launched six drones targeting US air defence radar at the Al-Rifaa helicopter base in Bahrain, Iranian state-run Press TV reported. There was no immediate confirmation from US or Bahraini authorities.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, urged citizens and residents to remain calm and proceed to the nearest safe location, the interior ministry said. Two days earlier the Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked a US early-warning radar facility in Bahrain.
The US military denied this, saying it had intercepted two Iranian drones without any damage.
