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Strong blasts heard in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia as Iran targets US 5th Fleet: Report

A missile is launched from an undisclosed location in Iran toward U.S. targets in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, in this image taken from video released by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), July 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)
July 18, 2026 08:42 AM GMT+03:00

Loud explosions were reported in Bahrain and the eastern Saudi Arabian city of Al Khobar early Saturday as Iran launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting U.S. military facilities across the Gulf, according to Iranian state media.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) described the attacks as the 14th phase of Operation Thunder, following a seventh straight night of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operations targeting Iran.

Iran claims US logistics, intelligence hubs destroyed

In a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said attack drones struck U.S. military installations in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, including an ammunition depot at Al-Adire camp, facilities and communications links at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and fuel storage tanks at Jordan's Al-Azraq Air Base.

Tasnim, citing Arab sources, also reported powerful explosions at the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

Separately, Iranian media reported blasts in Al Khobar, while Saudi Arabia activated its early warning system in Al-Kharj, and reports said sirens sounded in Al-Kharj and Yanbu after a missile launch from Iran was detected.

Iranian media later reported the launch of the 15th phase of Operation Lightning, saying drones targeted Bahrain's Sheikh Isa Air Base. The reports claimed aircraft hangars, parking areas, fuel tanks and communications infrastructure at the base were hit.

Tasnim also claimed Iranian forces destroyed facilities at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, a radar installation at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, a U.S. Navy fuel support pier, an aircraft staging area, an intelligence center and a communications facility.

The IRGC warned that countries hosting U.S. military personnel should expect reciprocal attacks as long as Washington continues operations against Iran, describing American bases across the region as legitimate military targets.

Iranian media also circulated footage it said showed a successful missile strike on the U.S. Al-Salt military base in Jordan.

US-Iran truce collapses within weeks

The Iranian attacks came after CENTCOM announced that American forces had completed a seventh consecutive night of operations against Iran.

The command said its latest strikes targeted surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities and maritime capabilities, using fighter aircraft, drones, warships and other military assets.

CENTCOM said more than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East and are continuing operations under President Donald Trump's directive while enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The latest exchange comes less than a month after Washington and Tehran signed the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which called for an immediate halt to hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and 60 days of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

The agreement has since largely unraveled as both sides accuse each other of violating its terms, particularly over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

July 18, 2026 09:50 AM GMT+03:00
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