Iran launches drone strike on US base in Kuwait, citing retaliation for US attacks

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Friday that drones attacked US military infrastructure at Kuwait's Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase, targeting hangars, satellite communications and equipment warehouses. The operation was described as retaliation for a US strike on a residential building on Qeshm island the previous day.

The Iranian army said the Kuwait base serves as a hub for US aerial surveillance and operational support in the region. No official US response has been reported, and details on damage or casualties remain unavailable.

Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at Tehran's Center for Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera that Iran views the strikes as a pre-emptive move to deter further US actions and to target what it calls "staging grounds of future operations." He added that Tehran seeks to expand the geographical scope of the conflict in response to what it calls "vertical escalation" by Washington.

The United States Central Command earlier said it had hit dozens of IRGC targets across Iran, including a residential building on Qeshm island that killed three people, and reported explosions in several provinces. The IRGC pledged retaliation, saying the aggressor would be punished.

Separately, Jordan reported intercepting five missiles launched from Iran, and Kuwait's defence ministry confirmed a worker's death in an Iranian attack on a building belonging to a Chinese firm. Chinese officials said no Chinese citizens were harmed.

Regional tensions have risen, with recent drone and missile attacks reported in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and maritime incidents involving the Houthis in the Red Sea and a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian-linked vessel in the Caspian Sea. Analysts said the pattern suggests a continuation of tit-for-tat strikes while diplomatic efforts continue.