The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had hit a US early-warning radar system in Bahrain. The claim was made on November 13 and has not been confirmed by US or Bahraini authorities.
According to the IRGC, the operation was carried out in response to a US airstrike on a telecommunications tower in Suriq, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province. The Iranian Guards said the radar had been “hit and destroyed.”
US Central Command rejected the report. The US military said it had intercepted two one-way attack drones heading toward Bahrain, adding: “There were no injuries or damage.”
Washington did not confirm that a radar installation or any other US air-defense system on the island had been hit. Bahrain has also not publicly confirmed Tehran’s version of events.
The Iranian statement is the country’s first claim of an attack on a US military facility in a Persian Gulf state since the beginning of September. It comes amid an ongoing exchange of strikes and accusations between Iran and the US in the region.
The US Presence in Bahrain
Bahrain is home to the naval support facility in Manama, which is linked to the operations of the US Fifth Fleet. US facilities on the island are part of the regional network for surveillance, force protection and operations in the Persian Gulf.
Sources: apnews.com, rferl.org, aljazeera.com