Bahrain warns Iran against turning kingdom into ‘arena for scores’

The IRGC claimed it launched six drones targeting US air defence radar at Al Rifaa helicopter base in Bahrain.

Manama: Bahrain on Sunday, November 15, condemned an Iranian drone attack on its territory after its air defence systems intercepted several aerial threats.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom would not allow its territory to become “an arena for settling scores” and rejected the justifications offered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for the attack.

Manama held Tehran responsible for the incident and its consequences, asserting its right to take necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and ensure the safety of citizens and residents.

The ministry praised the Bahrain Defence Force for its response and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s readiness to counter further threats. It also said Bahrain would coordinate with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members under the bloc’s Joint Defence Agreement, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.

Saudi Arabia also condemned the strikes, expressing solidarity with Bahrain and backing measures to protect its security. Riyadh said the attacks violated international law and called for an immediate halt to what it described as “blatant Iranian attacks” in the region.

Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed it had launched six drones targeting US air defence radar at Al Rifaa helicopter base in Bahrain. Fars news agency reported that the operation targeted a military installation hosting US assets and was carried out in retaliation for what Tehran described as “hostile US actions”.

There was no immediate confirmation from US or Bahraini authorities that the radar installation had been hit.

Bahrain intercepted two drones on Friday, November 13, in an earlier incident.

The latest escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, remain deadlocked. While fighting between Washington and Tehran has eased, sporadic missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases in Gulf countries have continued.