Kuwait says Iranian attacks caused extensive damage to vital civilian facilities

Kuwait said Sunday that missile and drone attacks from Iran have caused extensive damage to vital civilian facilities.

In a statement, Defense Ministry spokesman Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan said the country's armed forces had detected and intercepted ballistic missiles and drones in Kuwaiti airspace since dawn.

He said Iranian attacks "continued to target civilian and vital infrastructure, including facilities belonging to the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy."

The attacks caused fires and "extensive damage" to several vital facilities, he added, without providing information about casualties.

Atwan said the Kuwaiti armed forces remained on high alert and were taking all necessary measures "to protect Kuwait's sovereignty, security and stability, as well as the safety of citizens and residents."

Kuwait's Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Ministry said early Sunday that a power and water desalination plant came under a new Iranian attack, causing a fire.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack on the power plant, warning the "repeated deliberate targeting of civilian and essential installations reflected a systematic aggressive approach."

It called the attacks "a dangerous escalation and a serious threat to civilian safety," saying they violated international law, international humanitarian law, the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

Kuwait held Iran "fully legally and morally responsible" for the attacks and their consequences, saying it reserves the "full right to take all necessary measures to protect its security and defend its territory and vital facilities against any attack or threat under the right to self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter."

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Gulf nations hosting US assets.

Washington and Tehran reached a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding last month to end their conflict and reach a lasting peace agreement, but tensions escalated again last week over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides exchanging attacks.