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Iranian Shahed-type kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles struck U.S. naval facilities in Bahrain and Qatar on Saturday, hitting radar installations at both bases as Tehran expanded its retaliatory campaign beyond ballistic missiles to include long-range one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Footage circulating online appears to show a Shahed-136 or similar one-way attack drone striking a radar dome at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and the combined command of Commander Task Force 55 and Destroyer Squadron 50, based in Juffair.
The footage, which has not been independently verified, shows an impact on a radome within the base compound. Iranian accounts online promoted the strike as a major hit, with some describing the target as an AN/FPS-132 radar.
However, defense analysts noted that the structure visible in the footage does not match the AN/FPS-132 system. The dome appears more consistent with an older-style radome likely covering communications or tracking equipment rather than with a large ballistic missile early-warning radar.
The drone strike came in addition to ballistic missiles that earlier hit a service center affiliated with the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, with footage showing heavy smoke rising from the base area.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry urged citizens to remain calm, head to safe locations and use main roads only when necessary.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it destroyed a U.S. AN/FPS-132 radar system with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3106.58 miles) stationed in Qatar, which was specifically designed to track ballistic missiles.
"The American FP-132 radar deployed in Qatar, equipped with specialized capabilities for tracking ballistic missiles and with a range of 5,000 kilometers, has been completely destroyed," the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement.
An unnamed Qatari Defense Ministry official told Al Jazeera that early-warning radar in the north of the country was hit and that there were no deaths or injuries in the strike.
The official said they are assessing the extent of the damage.
Qatar's Defense Ministry earlier confirmed it had intercepted several Iranian missiles targeting the country using its Patriot air defense system, but the radar facility appears to have been struck by a separate attack.
The AN/FPS-132 is a phased-array early warning radar designed to detect and track ballistic missile launches at extreme range. If confirmed, its destruction would represent a significant degradation of U.S. missile early warning capability in the Persian Gulf region.
Iran launched simultaneous attacks against U.S. bases in six countries: Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The Revolutionary Guard said four major U.S. bases in the region were subjected to "intensive missile attacks."
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