UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia continue to face Iranian missile and drone attacks, targeting energy and infrastructure sites despite growing defenses.
The Gulf States, such as the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, continue to face Iranian threats. The challenge for these countries is that they have become a frontline in this war over the last month.
The countries have faced thousands of threats. Over time, they have been able to go through a steep learning curve to confront and stop most of the attacks. However, the incidents continue.
On Sunday, the UAE said that its air defenses had dealt with new missile and drone attacks coming from Iran. The UAE's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its air defenses were dealing with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran.
The ministry confirmed, via its account on X/Twitter, that sounds of interceptions and other noise across the country were linked to ongoing efforts to address the threat.
The countries are all on edge over the possibility of Iran targeting energy infrastructure or other infrastructure sites.
For instance, in Kuwait, the Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy Ministry said “emergency teams have restarted the main conversion station in Al Jahra, restoring power to all affected customers,” Gulf News noted.
The outage had affected several neighborhoods. It didn’t appear connected to the ongoing war; however, the media reports in the Gulf did not provide the full details.
“The outage, which affected several neighborhoods, was caused by a technical malfunction,” Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.
Gulf News added that “the ministry said technical teams mobilized immediately after the fault occurred, addressing the issue in line with approved procedures to ensure a swift and safe restoration of power. The earlier disruption had affected several neighborhoods in Al Jahra after the station stopped operating.”
Asharq al-Awsat, which covers Middle East news, noted on Saturday that “Iranian attacks struck key energy infrastructure in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on Friday, prompting air defense responses across the Gulf and causing casualties and material damage.”
Iranian drones damage Kuwaiti refinery
It said that in Kuwait, drones had attacked the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery as well as a power generation and water desalination plant. “In Abu Dhabi, operations were suspended at the Habshan gas facilities after debris fell following a successful interception, officials said. The incident killed an Egyptian resident and injured four others from Egypt and Pakistan, and sparked two fires.”
Furthermore, the report said that “Emirates Global Aluminium said it shut down its Al Taweelah site, one of the world’s largest aluminum production complexes, after it sustained severe damage in what it described as Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
The UAE also provided new data for attacks on Friday, saying 18 ballistic missile attacks had been detected along with 47 drone attacks. In total, the country has been attacked by 475 ballistic missiles, 23 cruise missiles, and 2,085 drones. “The Abu Dhabi Media Office said authorities dealt with debris falling at the Habshan gas facilities after a successful interception, prompting a temporary suspension of operations and a fire at the site,” Asharq noted.
The desalination and energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be a vulnerable spot for the region. This is because these large sites must be protected at all times, and damage to one small area can sometimes affect the entire site. This is one reason these countries have all sought to avoid a kind of “tit-for-tat” escalation with Iran regarding key infrastructure.
