Iran claims a drone attack on a U.S. base in Bahrain

Explosions and warning sirens were heard in Bahrain on Sunday morning, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed an attack involving six drones on an American radar system at the Al-Riffa helicopter base. The attack comes amid persistent tensions in the Middle East and repeated Iranian strikes on American targets in the Gulf region.

According to an AFP journalist, the explosions were heard around 4:00 a.m., while witnesses reported another series around 6:30 a.m. Bahrain’s authorities urged the population to take shelter and follow official information, without initially specifying the origin of the threat.

The Revolutionary Guards later stated that the drones had targeted the American air-defense radar. The U.S. military announced on Friday that it had intercepted and shot down two drones launched by Iran, following a claimed attack on another radar system in Bahrain.

Bahrain hosts an important American naval base and has been targeted by several attacks since the beginning of the conflict triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Meanwhile, Iran has continued attacking vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz without authorization. The Revolutionary Guard announced that two hydrocarbon transport vessels caught fire after striking mines in the area.