Iran says drones targeted a US radar in Bahrain. Bahrain says its forces intercepted several Iranian attacks Sunday.
The Bahrain attack claimed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday targeted a US air defense radar system with six drones, the Guards said, while Bahrain’s military said it intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks aimed at the Gulf kingdom. Neither US nor Bahraini authorities had immediately confirmed the Guards’ account, and the claims have not been independently verified.
Blasts and sirens were heard across Bahrain early Sunday, according to AFP, and authorities posted several alerts on social media urging residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe location. Bahrain’s interior ministry issued two separate warnings of potential threats, without naming the source, before the interceptions were announced. The ministry posted the alerts on the social media platform X, according to the Indian news agency ANI.
What Iran and Bahrain said
In a statement carried by Iranian state media on Telegram, the Revolutionary Guards said the US air defense radar at the Al-Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain was targeted by six drones from their aerospace force. Iranian state-run Press TV gave the same account of the six drones, according to the Jerusalem Post. Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the Guards described the action as retaliation for what they called hostile US actions.
Bahrain’s military said it intercepted and destroyed several attacks, preventing them from reaching their intended targets. Bahrain Defence Force statements, as reported by The National, accused Iran of continuing what it called a systematic hostile approach toward the kingdom. The Irish Times reported that it was the first time since September that Bahraini air defenses had to carry out such interceptions, and The National described the alert as the country’s first nationwide warning in months.
Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, making it a key hub for American military operations in the Gulf. The Guards also described the latest strike as a second phase of retaliation, according to The National, which reported that Iran-aligned media attributed explosions heard in Bahrain to an Iranian drone attack on US targets. Those descriptions are claims from Iranian sources and could not be verified.
Second incident in three days
The Sunday attack followed another claim two days earlier. On Friday, the Guards said their forces had targeted a US early-warning radar system in Bahrain, which France 24 described as the first strike on a Gulf country since early September. The US military denied the Guards’ account, with Central Command saying it shot down two Iranian drones aimed at Bahrain and reporting no casualties or damage.
Bahrain is one of several Gulf states that have been affected by the war that began on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran, according to AFP. Bahrain has previously been hit by Iranian strikes during the conflict, including an attack on the US Fifth Fleet base in Manama that satellite imagery showed had caused damage in March, France 24 reported.
The latest incident came amid uncertainty over a possible deal to end the war, according to the Irish Times. US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington did not need a deal with Iran, while Tehran has refused to negotiate on its uranium stockpile until a formal ceasefire is in place, CBS News reported. Neither side has announced a date for new talks.
The Tribune, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported that Iran may still hold up to 2,500 missiles despite continuing US and Israeli strikes. Aurax News has not been able to open the Journal’s report to confirm that figure.
The reports reviewed by Aurax News did not describe any casualties or damage from Sunday’s incident, and neither US nor Bahraini authorities had responded to the Revolutionary Guards’ claim at the time. Aurax News will update this article when they do.
Sources: France 24, the Irish Times, The National, AFP via the Manila Times, ANI via The Tribune, the Jerusalem Post and CBS News