️ Iraqi forces have shot down a drone that attempted to target a United States military base near Baghdad International Airport, according to local media reports. The incident occurred as the region plunges deeper into conflict, now in its sixth day, following the initiation of hostilities by the US and Israel against Iran.
️ Reports indicate the drone attempted to strike the Victoria airbase overnight on Wednesday and was intercepted before reaching its target. Videos emerged early Thursday showing a drone crash in Baghdad’s Al-Bu’aitha area, with security personnel present.
️ This attack took place amid soaring tensions in the Middle East, where new explosions were heard in Qatar and Bahrain on Thursday. Air defenses intercepted a fresh wave of missiles and drones purportedly fired by Iran toward the Qatari capital, Doha.
️ The reverberating violence has spread across the region, with attacks also reported in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence stated it shot down a drone in the north, while Oman’s Oil Marketing Company reported minor damage to a storage tank. Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior noted an explosion on an oil tanker outside its waters, raising concerns of potential environmental damage from an oil spill.
️ As tensions remain high, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior on Thursday ordered the evacuation of residents near the US embassy in Doha as a precautionary measure. An Al Jazeera correspondent described the embassy compound as occupying a “very large area” in the heart of the city, home to many families and commercial facilities.
️ Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Wednesday to have fired 230 drones at several facilities hosting US troops in the Middle East, including bases in Erbil, northern Iraq, and Kuwait. The IRGC described these attacks as among its “first powerful steps” in the war, despite Iran having targeted Gulf states for days.
️ Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian directly addressed neighboring countries, asserting that Iran sought to avert war through diplomacy but was allegedly left “with no choice” but to retaliate due to US-Israel attacks. He emphasized that regional security must be achieved through collective effort, in posts on social media.
️ The situation underscores the escalating crisis, with the US and its allies facing increased threats, while regional stability deteriorates amid continuous strikes and counter-strikes, highlighting the profound geopolitical and security challenges unfolding across the Middle East.
Source: www.aljazeera.com