Energy-linked facilities and installations across Mideast Gulf countries were hit by a new round of Iranian drones strikes overnight, as the US-Israeli war with Iran intensifies.
Kuwait's state-owned KPC reported that the building housing both its headquarters and the country's oil ministry "was targeted" by a drone in the early hours of Sunday, 5 April, causing a fire at the site.
A source with knowledge of the incident confirmed that the building itself was struck. Videos circulating on social media showed a large fire burning from the top of the building. The attack caused "significant material damage," the finance ministry said in a separate statement.
The building, located in Kuwait City's Shuwaikh district, had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported, KPC said. Emergency teams are continuing efforts to contain and manage the fire.
Another strike in Kuwait targeted two power and water desalination plants, resulting in "significant material damage" and the shutdown of two electricity generation units, the ministry of electricity and water said.
This represents the third attack on Kuwait's power infrastructure in less than a week, following strikes reported on power and desalination plants on 3 April and 30 March. Kuwait has eight major power plants dotted along its coast, the majority of which also include desalination units that supply a significant portion of the emirate's freshwater.
The first attack on 30 March targeted the Doha West facility near Doha port. Kuwait has yet to disclose which facilities were targeted on 3 April and early today.
In neighbouring Bahrain, state-owned Bapco Energies reported a fire at a storage tank at "one of its storage facilities" after what it described as "an Iranian drone attack" in the early hours of Sunday. By 09:41 local time, Bapco Energies said the fire had been "fully extinguished" and the situation brought under control. Damage assessments are ongoing, and no injuries were reported.
Bahrain's GPIC said several operational units were hit by Iranian drones early today, triggering fires that were later extinguished. Damage assessments are ongoing, with no casualties reported.
Abu Dhabi authorities said that "several fires" broke out at the Borouge petrochemicals facility after debris from an intercepted drone fell on the site early Sunday. Operations at the facility have been "suspended immediately, pending an assessment of the damage," Abu Dhabi said. No injuries were reported.
These attacks came hours after the Iraqi oil ministry reported an attack "by unidentified drones" on a storage facility at the 300,000 b/d Buzurgan oil field — one of three fields that make up the Missan cluster operated by China's state-owned CNOOC. The attack did not result in any injuries, the ministry said.
The war with Iran is now in its sixth week, with Tehran responding to US and Israeli strikes on its territory, facilities and infrastructure by launching missiles and drones against targets in Israel and across the Mideast Gulf.
