KUWAIT CITY – Tensions continue unabated in Middle East as Gulf residents woke up to another day of escalation as the sound of air raid sirens replaced routine air traffic.
Amid recent attacks, Kuwait shut its airspace, grounded flights, and activated its air defenses after Iran claimed new wave of missile and drone strikes targeting US-linked sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, signaling that the regional crisis has entered an even more dangerous phase.
Kuwait also temporarily closed its airspace and suspended all arrivals and departures at Kuwait International Airport after a fresh wave of Iranian missile and drone attacks heightened tensions across the Gulf.
עומס בנמל התעופה הבינלאומי של כווית אחרי סגירת המרחב האווירי שם לאור התקיפות האיראניות הבלתי פוסקות pic.twitter.com/ahfTcfVm5w
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) July 18, 2026
Kuwait Airways confirmed that flight operations had been temporarily suspended in wake of latest security developments. The national carrier said that most flight schedules were being revised due to the airspace closure and urged passengers to monitor notifications and text messages sent to the phone numbers registered with their bookings for further updates.
The dramatic move came as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a new series of military operations, claiming responsibility for strikes on multiple U.S.-linked facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.
#kuwait_airways announces to its valued customers the rescheduling of most of its flights due to the temporary suspension of takeoff and landing operations at Kuwait International Airport as a result of hostile missile and drone attacks following the Iranian aggression on…
— Kuwait Airways (@KuwaitAirways) July 18, 2026
IRGC said its naval forces targeted fuel-support facility at Kuwait’s Al Ahmadi Port that allegedly serves the US Navy. The group also claimed to have launched drone and missile attacks on the assembly area for American military aircraft at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.
Kuwait remained on high alert as air raid sirens echoed across the country for the fourth time. According to Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Kuwait, the sirens sounded while air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming missiles. The country’s military confirmed that its air defense units were actively responding to what it described as Iranian missile and drone attacks.
General Staff said any explosions heard by residents were the result of air defense operations intercepting hostile projectiles, urging the public not to panic. The latest developments mark major escalation in regional tensions, disrupting civilian aviation and raising fears that the confrontation could spill further across the Gulf, threatening military installations, critical infrastructure, and international air traffic.
Iranian forces destroyed Batelco, which it described as a US intelligence data center in Bahrain. IRGC additionally claimed that it had struck a U.S. signals intelligence and telecommunications center in Kuwait.
Lately, Iran’s Supreme Leader warned that if attacks continued for “a few more days,” Tehran would launch a full-scale offensive operation, signaling the potential for a major expansion of the conflict.
US intensifies Iran offensive for 7th Straight Night as Tehran’s Rare Attacks hit Saudi Arabia
