Bahrain sounds air raid sirens, US and Iran exchange strikes

18 July, 2026 Last Update18 July, 2026 10:37 AM Bahrain activated its air sirens for a second time on Saturday, warning residents to shelter after it detected possible incoming drones or missiles. The Gulf states have come under frequent fire from Iran over the past week amid renewed conflict between the US and Iran. Bahrain's army said its air defences repelled a wave of Iranian attacks, as according to news agency AFP, blasts were reported after sirens were sounded. "Air defence systems thwarted" the attacks, the army said in a statement, adding that they "intercepted and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial assaults". Kuwait on Saturday also said Iran struck another of its power and water plants, leading to the deactivation of several power generation units, a day after a similar attack. "Another electricity and water distillation plant was targeted by a hostile attack that led to a fire erupting in one of the plant's components," which resulted in the deactivation of some power generation units, the ministry of electricity and water said in a statement. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that two oil tankers directed by "deceptive American intelligence agencies" exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which the US military quickly denied. The Revolutionary Guards also said on state television they "stopped" four ships trying to transit the critical waterway. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said Tehran will resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes against it continue for another two or three days. "Iran will no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses... and no political border will be safe," Rezaei said, according to the Iranian news agency IRIB. US forces reported striking Iran with attacks designed to "continue degrading Iranian military capabilities", according to a statement on X by US Central Command. In the biggest escalation since the foes resumed hostilities, Iran accused US forces of targeting civilian infrastructure, including an airport, a railway station and two bridges, and said it had struck US assets across the region. US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iranian infrastructure, but there was no confirmation from the US side on Friday that US forces have begun to do so. Related Articles