Iran Launches Missile Attacks on Kuwait Amid Escalating Conflict With United States

POLICY WIRE — Kuwait City, Kuwait — Air defense systems in Kuwait intercepted drones and missiles early Thursday during what the nation’s Defense Ministry described as a blatant Iranian aggression.

The strikes follow a similar pattern of hostilities on Wednesday, when Jordan and Bahrain also reported intercepting Iranian aerial attacks.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran spiked earlier this week after the U.S. military targeted Iranian rocket launchers on an island within the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed he has been briefed on a Tuesday attack at a wedding that Iranian state media reports killed five people and wounded dozens.

Vance stated that the U.S. is investigating the incident fully, noting that while the military does not target civilians, sometimes things happen.

He added that the U.S. wants to know the details because they care, and that the military learns from its mistakes to improve.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, previously confirmed that the military is reviewing the reports.

In the port town of Kuhestak, roughly 1,100 kilometers southeast of Tehran, hundreds gathered Thursday for the funeral of four airstrike victims.

Iranian state TV reported that a fifth person succumbed to their injuries on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to five.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, officials at Shifa hospital reported that Israeli strikes on Thursday killed three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old, in Gaza City and northern Gaza.

The Israeli military claimed they killed two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line and posed an immediate threat to troops.

Hospital officials disputed this, asserting the two individuals were killed in a safe zone west of the military-controlled yellow line.

A subsequent strike in Gaza City killed one more Palestinian and left two others in critical condition, according to the hospital.

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli military announced it has seized operational control of the Ali Taher ridge, a strategic location where Hezbollah is believed to maintain an underground military complex.

Military officials stated that troops cleared Hezbollah fighters from two subterranean routes, resulting in several deaths while others escaped.

The ridge is vital as it overlooks main roads to Nabatiyeh and several villages; its loss threatens to sever Hezbollah’s local supply lines and presence.

Hezbollah has not yet issued a comment on the loss of the ridge.

Maritime activity in the Strait of Hormuz continues to plummet due to the risk of Iranian retaliation against ships that bypass Iranian vetting.

Data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows transits dropped to 102 last week, down from 126 the previous week and far below the pre-war average of over 130 daily transits.

Despite this, oil continues to move through the region via a shuttle trade, with tankers utilizing a southern route near Oman under U.S. naval guidance.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli police arrested a 19-year-old settler suspected of participating in a violent riot in the village of Qusra last Saturday.

The suspect is accused of throwing stones and barricading himself inside a villager’s home; police are seeking to extend his detention for questioning.

Additionally, funerals were held Thursday for two Palestinians, aged 16 and 19, killed by Israeli forces the previous night in Al-Mughayyir.

Local official Amin Abu Aliya told the Wafa news agency that soldiers and settlers entered the village, stole sheep, and attacked two residences.

In a separate development, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Lebanese officials confirmed the release of a Lebanese prisoner from Israel on Thursday.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel agreed to release five Lebanese civilians who were detained after helping search for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders.

Finally, an Israeli official unveiled a proposal to encourage Gaza residents to emigrate, targeting 250,000 departures in the first year and 1.9 million over seven years.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested that Israel would provide payments to countries that accept these emigrants.

Palestinians in Gaza have rejected the plan, and rights organizations warned that pressuring residents to leave could constitute a war crime.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)