Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim six-drone attack on US radar in Bahrain

Guards claim new strike on Bahrain radar

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had again attacked a US radar system in Bahrain, this time at the Al-Riffa helicopter base, using six drones. The claim came in a statement posted on Telegram early on Sunday, 15 November. Sirens sounded in Bahrain at the same time as the announcement, and an AFP journalist on site reported explosions around 06:30 local time. The Guards described the operation as the second stage of their response to a US military attack. They claimed precise and successful hits were heard in several parts of Bahrain but gave no details of any damage.

Friday's attack and the US response

The Guards had already claimed an attack on a US radar system in Bahrain on Friday, 13 November, which they described as the first strike on a Gulf country since early September. US forces said they had intercepted and shot down the two drones used in that attack, and that it caused no damage and no injuries. CENTCOM, the US military's regional command, said the Sunday attack caused no damage and that two Iranian drones had been intercepted. The Sunday claim is therefore the latest step in an exchange that has run for several days.

Bahrain's warnings

Bahrain's interior ministry urged residents on X to stay calm, go to the nearest safe place and follow official channels for information. Several alert messages were posted on social networks asking people to reach a safe place, without naming the origin of the threat. The ministry gave no further details about the possible threats. Bahrain hosts an important US naval base and has been one of several Gulf states hit by Iranian retaliation since the war began.

Sequence of events

The reporting places the latest strikes in a short sequence that began on Friday, 13 November. The Friday claim was followed by the US statement on the interception of two drones. On Sunday morning, sirens, explosions around 06:30 local time and a new Guards claim followed in quick succession. The timeline below sets out these beats.

Wider war and Hormuz

The strikes sit inside a conflict between Tehran and Washington that began on 28 February, when the United States and Israel launched an offensive against Iran. Iran has answered by hitting American interests in its Gulf neighbours. The Guards said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and warned that any aggression by the American enemy will be answered even harder. Iran has regularly targeted vessels trying to cross the strait without its authorization, a waterway that carried about one fifth of the world's hydrocarbons before the war. In response, Washington had imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

Claims and open questions

The Guards' claim of successful hits stands against CENTCOM's report that no damage occurred. Bahrain's ministry has not named the origin of the threat. The Guards framed the strike as the second stage of their response, and their claim covers six drones. The figures are compared below.

Drones the Guards say targeted the radar6

Drones intercepted, per CENTCOM2

Drones the Guards say targeted the radar

6 drones

Drones intercepted, per CENTCOM

2 drones

Data from the article text