IRGC claims US personnel killed in Kuwait air base strike

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Wednesday that its forces killed American personnel and destroyed unmanned aerial vehicles in a coordinated missile and drone attack on Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

The elite force stated that its Ground Force launched a combined assault targeting the headquarters and living quarters of the US commander stationed at the facility, claiming that "a number" of American troops were killed in the operation. The statement added that the strike ignited a drone hangar and deployment ramp, destroying several unmanned aerial vehicles that had allegedly taken part in previous attacks against Iranian territory.

Retaliatory operations

The operation was conducted simultaneously with strikes on American military installations in Jordan, Bahrain, and Erbil, the corps noted. The attack came in response to a US strike on a residential building in Sirik, southern Iran, that occurred a day earlier and allegedly struck nearly 70 people, killing four including a child, according to the statement.

Message to Kuwait

Speaking to the Kuwaiti public, the IRGC emphasized that the operation targeted the American military presence rather than Kuwaiti citizens, urging the expulsion of US forces from the Gulf state. The statement sought to distinguish between the US military deployment and the Kuwaiti population amid heightened regional tensions.

US strikes on Iranian territory

US Central Command announced late Tuesday that it had conducted strikes against IRGC targets inside Iran. Following the announcement, Iranian media outlets reported explosions on Qeshm Island as well as in the cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, and Konarak.