Iran announced on Friday, July 31, 2026, that it had launched a drone attack on United States military assets at Kuwait’s Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase. The Iranian army described the strike as retaliation for US attacks on multiple locations in Iran, including a residential home on Qeshm island. According to a statement reported by Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, the drones targeted hangars, satellite communication systems, and equipment warehouses at the base, which serves as a crucial hub for US aerial surveillance and operational support in the region.

Tehran-based researcher Ali Akbar Dareini of the Center for Strategic Studies told Al Jazeera that Iran believes the US is amassing equipment at a military base in Jordan in preparation for a major attack. He suggested that Iran’s recent strikes are likely aimed at preempting future US attacks in the region.

The conflict appears to be expanding across the Middle East. On July 20, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and have since attacked shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of imposing an “unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for nearly 12 years, including a comprehensive blockade of ports and airports by land, sea, and air.

Additionally, a Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea led Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran, condemning the attack as “hostile and criminal,” according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

These developments mark a significant escalation in the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran and highlight the widening regional impact.

Sources