2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
| 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2026 Iran war | |||||||
2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait (Kuwait) Map of Kuwait | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Iran |
Kuwait United States Italy Canada | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Undisclosed |
13,000 servicemen 100 soldiers[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 97 ballistic missiles and 283 drones shot down[2] |
7 soldiers killed, dozens wounded[3][4] 3 F-15Es shot down (friendly fire) 4 servicemen killed, 67 wounded.[5][6][7] No human casualties[8] 1 MQ-9 Reaper drone destroyed and 2 Eurofighter Typhoon damaged[9][1] None[10] | ||||||
| 32 civilians injured in Kuwait[11] | |||||||
On 28 February 2026, during the 2026 Iran war, Iran began launching a series of retaliatory strikes on American and Kuwaiti targets within Kuwait.
Incidents
28 February
An Iranian drone struck the Kuwait International Airport[12] and the Ali Al Salem Air Base (which houses Italian forces).[13]
March 1
An Iranian drone struck the US garrison at Camp Buehring in northeastern Kuwait.[14] Another Iranian missile attack targeted a makeshift operation center in the civilian port of Kuwait. Six US soldiers were killed[3] and dozens were wounded, of those 38 were hospitalized in various medical centers.[15]
March 2
Two Navy servicemen from Kuwait were killed in the line of duty, Kuwaiti officials reported.[5]
An F/A-18 of the Kuwait Air Force shot down three American F-15Es in a friendly fire incident. The American crew members survived. The United States embassy in Kuwait was likely hit by an Iranian missile strike.[16][17][18]
The Camp Canada military base located within the Ali Al Salem Air Base was struck by Iranian missiles. During the attack, Canadian soldiers took shelter inside bunkers and suffered no casualties. Satellite images showed that Canadian bunkers had been damaged during the attack. Information regarding the attack was made public on 12 March 2026.[10] The Canadian government is facing criticism for not being transparent about the attack.[19]
March 6
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense reported that 67 Army servicemen were wounded by the current conflict.[7]
March 9
The Interior Ministry of Kuwait reported the deaths of two border guards during an incident at dawn.[6] Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, said his country is facing an unprovoked attack from a neighboring Muslim country "which we consider a friend, and to which we did not allow the use of our land, airspace, or waters for any military action against it."[20]
March 10–11
Kuwait said it intercepted Iranian missiles and drones overnight.[21]
March 12
Kuwait's electricity ministry said that debris from Iranian drones put six power lines out of service.[22]
March 15
In the afternoon, the Italian garrison at Ali Al Salem Air Base was struck by a Iranian drone and missiles. The attack destroyed a General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper combat drone belonging to the Italian Army.[23][9] Also two Italian Eurofighter Typhoons were damaged in the ground by shrapnel and remained unoperational.[1] No personnel were injured in the attack.[24]
March 17
Two minor injuries were reported as a result of falling shrapnel from the missile and drone interceptions.[25]
March 19
A drone hit the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, causing a small fire. No injuries were reported.[26][27]
March 20
Kuwait reported that its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit again by an Iranian attack.[28] This coming a day after European leader called to stop targeting Gulf energy infrastructure and Qatar's Ras Laffan facility suffered a direct Iranian hit.[28]
References
- ^ a b c "Chiusi nei bunker e senza missione. I militari italiani isolati in Kuwait" (in Italian). 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Kuwait reports interception of 97 Iranian ballistic missiles, 283 drones". KUNA. 1 March 2026.
- ^ a b "No warning, no siren: Six US service members killed in Iranian strike that hit makeshift operations center in Kuwait". CNN. 3 March 2025.
- ^ "NYPD officer deployed to Kuwait with National Guard dies after suffering medical episode". CBS News. 9 March 2026. Archived from the original on 8 March 2026. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Kuwait says two navy soldiers killed". Reuters. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Two Kuwaiti border security personnel killed". Aljazeera Live coverage. 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Kuwait says 67 soldiers injured 'amid recent security developments' on Thursday". Amrah Online. 6 March 2026.
- ^ Attacco con un drone a base italiana in Kuwait, nessun ferito
- ^ a b Carli, Andrea (2026-03-15). "Attacco con un drone a base italiana in Kuwait, nessun ferito. Tajani: «Non ci faremo intimorire»" [A drone attack on an Italian base in Kuwait left no one injured. Tajani: "We won't be intimidated."]. Il Sole 24 ORE (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ a b "Canadian military instillation in Kuwait hit by Iranian missiles". Western Standard. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ "الصحة: حالة وفاة واحدة و32 إصابة على خلفية التطورات الراهنة في المنطقة" [Health Ministry: One death and 32 injuries reported due to current developments in the region]. Kuwait News. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ "Drone Attack Causes Damage, Panic at Kuwait Airport". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Iran targets US military bases in the Middle East with retaliatory strikes". France 24. 2026-02-28. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Iranian drone strikes US military facility in Kuwait". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2026-03-01. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Dozens of U.S. service members in Kuwait suffered serious injuries, including burns, brain trauma and shrapnel wounds, sources say". CBS. 11 March 2026.
- ^ Ambrose, Tom; Lowe, Yohannes; Fulton, Adam (2026-03-02). "Middle East crisis live: Israel launches new attacks on 'heart of Tehran'; US fighter planes mistakenly shot down in Kuwait". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Kuwait shoots down US jets: All about F/A-18 Hornet that accidentally shot down F-15s amid Iran tensions". Hindustan Times. 2026-03-04. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ^ Shelby Holliday; Lara Seligman; Marcus Weisgerber (2026-03-04). "Exclusive: Kuwaiti Jet Fighter Mistakenly Downed U.S. F-15s, Initial Reports Say". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ^ "Canadian government grilled for secrecy over Kuwait airbase attack". Iran International. 2026-03-13. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ "Kuwait's Emir: We are facing an attack from a neighboring country despite not allowing use of our land". LBCIV7. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ "Persian Gulf Arab states intercept Iran missiles and drones". Iran International. 2026-03-11. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ "Kuwait says drone debris knocks out six power lines". Iran International. 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "Incident General Atomics MQ-9A Predator B ?, Sunday 15 March 2026". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ^ "Attacco con un drone a una base italiana in Kuwait, nessun ferito". ANSA (in Italian). 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Kuwait says drones and missiles intercepted but two people suffered minor injuries". BBC News. 2026-03-17. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ "Drone hit Kuwait refinery unit causing limited fire, no injuries". Iran International. 2026-03-19. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "Kuwait oil refinery hit again as Iran targets Gulf energy infrastructure". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Gulf states again under fire as Iran says still building missiles". South China Morning Post. 2026-03-20. Retrieved 2026-03-20.