\n<\/p>\n
Bahrain and the UAE also reported attacks resulting in fires, which were put out quickly.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kuwait has said Iranian drone attacks damaged two power and water desalination plants and sparked a fire at an oil complex, without causing injuries.<\/p>\n Gulf countries<\/a> have borne the brunt of Tehran\u2019s response to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran since February 28.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Fatima Abbas Johar Hayat, a spokesperson for Kuwait\u2019s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, said on Sunday the \u201ccriminal aggression\u201d caused \u201cserious material damage\u201d overnight to the two plants and the outage of two electricity-generating units.<\/p>\n The attack is the latest to target civil infrastructure in Kuwait. Other drone attacks overnight caused a fire at the Shuwaikh Oil Sector Complex and \u201csignificant damage\u201d to a government office complex.<\/p>\n Reporting from Kuwait City, Al Jazeera\u2019s Malika Traina referred to the incident as \u201cdevastating news\u201d because \u201cwater desalination here and across the Gulf is extremely important. In Kuwait, around 90 percent of the country\u2019s drinking water comes from these plants\u201d.<\/p>\n Alongside the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait has been at the \u201cepicentre\u201d of Iranian attacks over the past few days, said Al Jazeera\u2019s Victoria Gatenby, reporting from Doha, Qatar.<\/p>\n \u201cThe concern here in the region is that if President [Donald] Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, follow through on those threats to escalate attacks on Iran, the result may be that Tehran attacks similar facilities here in the Gulf,\u201d said Gatenby.<\/p>\n Bahrain also faced Iranian attacks on Sunday.<\/p>\n Bahrain\u2019s Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co said that several of its operational units were subjected to an attack by Iranian drones, while earlier in the day, the country\u2019s national oil company, Bapco Energies, said an oil tank at one of its storage facilities was hit.<\/p>\n Both attacks caused a fire but were later brought under control and extinguished, Bahraini media reported.<\/p>\n No casualties were reported in either attacks, and damage from both was being assessed.<\/p>\n Earlier, Bahrain\u2019s Ministry of the Interior had reported on the Bapco Energies fire without specifying where the blaze had broken out.<\/p>\n The Interior Ministry has said civil defence crews \u201cextinguished a fire in the facility\u201d that broke out \u201cas a result of the Iranian aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n The announcement came an hour after Bahrain activated air raid sirens.<\/p>\n Authorities in neighbouring Abu Dhabi on Sunday also stated they responded to several fires that broke out at the Borouge petrochemical plant, caused by falling debris from an interception.<\/p>\n \u201cOperations at the plant have been immediately suspended pending a damage assessment,\u201d read a statement issued by Abu Dhabi Media Office.<\/p>\n No injuries have been reported so far, it added.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, intercepted missiles early on Sunday, the kingdom said.<\/p>\n \u201cIran has said that it is only really attacking US military bases and US assets in the region, but we know from what\u2019s been happening over the past five weeks and from what Gulf leaders have been saying that they have very much been targeting civilian infrastructure and critical energy infrastructure in this region as well,\u201d said Gatenby.<\/p>\n While Gulf countries have shown \u201cincredible restraint\u201d in the face of attacks<\/a> over the past five weeks, it is not because they lack the ability to respond and, increasingly, countries are talking about the fact that their patience is not unlimited, said Gatenby.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia, in particular, has been talking in the past week about its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe GCC countries continue to say their main priority is de-escalation and dialogue, but some others have been saying this defensive posture may have to change if they continue to be attacked,\u201d said Gatenby.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
Gulf patience is not \u2018unlimited\u2019<\/h2>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"