Iran’s military announced on Friday that it had launched a drone attack against the Ahmad al-Jaber air base in Kuwait, describing the facility as a critical hub for US air operations and logistical support. The army’s public relations office said loitering munitions struck aircraft shelters, satellite communications systems, and equipment storage depots, marking the 27th phase of what it calls Operation Sa’eqeh (Lightning).

Kuwait’s armed forces confirmed they had detected and intercepted hostile drones in the country’s airspace since dawn, with falling debris causing material damage but no human casualties. A defence ministry spokesperson described the incursion as “Iranian aggression” targeting several vital and military installations.

Tehran framed the strike as retaliation for a US attack on a residential building on Qeshm Island the previous day, which Iranian media said killed a mother, father, and their two-year-old son, and injured two other children. The army’s statement condemned the US action as a “clear violation of humanitarian principles” and warned that “crimes, sanctions and threats will only make Iran more united.”

The US Central Command did not immediately confirm the Kuwait attack. The incident follows a series of Iranian claims—including the destruction of three F-35 jets at Jordan’s Azraq air base, which the Pentagon denied—and reported strikes on other US-linked facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. Independent satellite imagery analysis published by Soar Atlas indicated possible damage at a second Kuwaiti base, Ali Al Salem, showing blackening in a storage area used by American forces.

The escalation has drawn in regional states, with Saudi Arabia announcing a 14-nation maritime defence coalition to protect Red Sea and Gulf shipping lanes. Pakistan, which brokered the now-strained Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June, said it was working to bring all parties back to the de-escalation framework.