KUWAIT CITY, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's armed forces said on Sunday that they had intercepted multiple missile and drone attacks targeting the country, while a drone strike hit fuel storage tanks at Kuwait International Airport.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said drones targeted fuel tanks at the airport in what it described as a direct attack on the country's vital infrastructure, triggering a fire at the storage facility.
Firefighting teams were immediately dispatched to the site and are working to contain the blaze and prevent further damage, the ministry said, adding that efforts are underway to ensure the continued operation of the airport.
The ministry said Kuwaiti air defense systems also detected three hostile ballistic missiles that had entered the country's airspace and successfully intercepted and destroyed them. According to the ministry, the armed forces further intercepted a wave of drones that penetrated Kuwaiti airspace at dawn.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces announced in a press release that military units were continuing to respond to additional missile and drone threats, noting that air defense systems remain on high alert to counter ongoing attacks.
It added that explosions heard in several areas were the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile projectiles.
In a separate statement, Kuwait's Ministry of Interior said that two officers from the country's land border security forces were killed early Sunday while performing their duty. The ministry did not disclose any further details about the circumstances of their deaths.
Iran's army said on Saturday that its navy had launched a wave of drone attacks targeting Israel, as well as U.S. military bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
The announcement came amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Feb. 28, to which Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli and U.S. assets across the Middle East. ■
