Drone strike damages Kuwait airport terminal amid regional chaos

KUWAIT CITY

Kuwaiti security officers stand beneath a screen displaying portraits of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (R) and the Kuwaiti crown prince Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah, alongside the words "Pride and Glory", at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City on June 1, 2026.(AFP)

A drone targeted Kuwait International Airport, causing injuries and damage to Terminal 1, Kuwaiti civil aviation authorities said, as regional tensions continued to affect Gulf security.

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation said several airport employees suffered minor injuries in the attack, while limited material damage was reported at the passenger terminal.

Emergency procedures were activated after the strike, the site was secured and airport operations were reorganized, according to Kuwaiti officials.

Kuwaiti authorities later said damage assessment work would begin before repair efforts to restore normal operations.

The incident came amid heightened tensions in the Gulf following the escalation between Iran and the United States and Israel.

Kuwait has repeatedly said it is taking measures to protect civilian infrastructure and ensure the safety of passengers, workers and air traffic.

Airport traffic has been suspended after the attacks.

The U.S. military said on June 2 that it had "successfully defeated" a series of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Gulf and conducted self-defense strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.

U.S. Central Command also denied claims by Iran's Revolutionary Guards that they had struck the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a separate air base in the region.

"Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets," Centcom said in a statement.

"Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces."

Kuwait's military said its air defenses were intercepting "hostile" missile and drone attacks.

Later, Centcom said an "additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets," with several drones shot down.

The U.S. military also shot down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran "toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters," Centcom said.

Qeshm Island is located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas that has been effectively closed by Tehran since the start of the war with the U.S. and Israel in late February.

Centcom said the strikes had targeted an "Iranian military ground control station" on the island, adding that no U.S. personnel were injured.

In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the Revolutionary Guards claimed they had struck the U.S. military installations in response to the strike on Qeshm Island.

"FALSE," Centcom said in a post on X. "All Iranian attacks on American forces failed."

A ceasefire has been in place between the United States and Iran since April 8, but subsequent talks to try to put a more permanent end to the conflict have so far been unsuccessful.

Tehran said Monday that Israel's expanding campaign in Lebanon risked ending the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Earlier, U.S. forces fired a missile at a ship that was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in violation of an American blockade, disabling the vessel.

Washington has now forcibly halted six ships it said were attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13.