Iran launched attacks on six Arab countries on Friday, July 17, targeting Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, in addition to Syria and Jordan. The Iranian army claimed a number of these attacks.
The Qatari Ministry of Defense announced at dawn today that it had responded to missile attacks targeting the country. According to the Qatari Interior Ministry, a child was injured after shrapnel fell as a result of counter-Iranian missile operations.
At dawn today, explosions were heard in the skies over Doha, apparently resulting from the Iranian missile attack. At the same time, the Qatari Ministry of Interior sent an alert to mobile phones, indicating that the level of security threat had been raised, and asked residents to stay in their homes, in safe places, and not to go out until the danger is gone. After a while, the ministry sent a new alert stating that the security threat had disappeared and that the situation had returned to normal.
Kuwait: Countering Rocket Attacks
The Kuwaiti army announced on Friday that its air defenses are repelling missile and drone attacks. The General Staff of the Army reported that "Kuwait's air defenses are currently responding to missile attacks and hostile drones following the Iranian aggression."
Bahrain also announced the sound of sirens and urged citizens and residents to "head to the nearest safe place."
The Iranian military announced on Friday that it had targeted what it said were "the positions of the US military forces and logistical support centers in Kuwait", and the army said in a statement that the "Arch" suicide drones targeted the positions of the US military forces and logistical support centers.
Bahrain: Sirens sounded as a result of threats
Meanwhile, sirens sounded twice on Friday, as a result of aerial threats. The Bahraini Ministry of Interior called on citizens and residents, both times, to go to the nearest safe place.
On the other hand, Tasnim news agency quoted the Iranian military as saying that it targeted US helicopters and reconnaissance planes at Bahrain's Sakhir base in a drone attack.
Two islands targeted in Oman
On Friday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that "a maritime surveillance radar on Salameh Island and a US aerial surveillance radar stationed on um al-Ghannam Island in the Sultanate of Oman have been destroyed."
The IRGC said in a statement that its naval force carried out the two attacks at dawn today "in response to the US attacks", adding that the strikes "targeted the maritime control radar on Salama Island and the US air control radar on um al-Ghannam Island, and resulted in their destruction".
Salama Island is located in the northernmost part of the Sultanate of Oman, about nine nautical miles north of Ras Musandam, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. um al-Ghannam Island is home to a Royal Navy base of Oman that is used to guide and guide ships and secure their passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Jordan: 3 Iranian missiles countered
In Jordan, an official military source in the General Command of the Armed Forces said that on Friday morning, air defense systems intercepted three Iranian missiles that entered Jordanian airspace and were targeting the Kingdom's territory, and were able to intercept and shoot them down.
The source explained that the missiles were dealt with "in accordance with the approved defensive measures and operational procedures, in order to ensure the protection of the Kingdom's sovereignty, secure its airspace, and maintain the security and safety of citizens."
IRGC: Attack on US post in Syria
In a statement on Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the targeting of what it said was the US Special Operations Command center in al-Tanf, eastern Syria, in response to the "killing of Iranian soldiers in the city of Iranshahr" yesterday evening.
The IRGC said its aerospace forces carried out a "surprise attack" on the centre, which destroyed a radar system and a number of helicopters for special operations, and "killed a large number of US soldiers".
A number of people were killed and wounded on Thursday night and Friday following US strikes targeting an airport, bridges and infrastructure in Iran as a result of US attacks. This comes after US President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed his escalatory tone towards Tehran, saying that the Iranians "will be defeated very soon", before adding that they "want to reach a settlement" and that he would see if an agreement could be reached with them.
He added that Iran wants to negotiate, while his statements reflect a combination of military threat and keeping the door to a settlement open, in parallel with the continuation of the raids and the expansion of the targeting area inside Iranian territory.