An Iran-backed Iraqi militia has claimed responsibility for a drone attack in Kuwait. [Getty]
Saraya Awliya al-Dam (“The Brigades of the Guardians of Blood”), an Iraq-based militia backed by Iran, on Wednesday, has launched a drone strike at targets inside Kuwait, according to the group’s own statement and video evidence.
Kuwaiti officials said the attack did not cause any casualties or major damage, but it marks a major escalation by pro-Iran militias in Iraq.
The incident, which took place near the Kuwaiti border, is seen as part of a series of escalating actions by Iran-aligned proxies in the Middle East following the US and Israel’s assault on Iran last month, with Iraq among the frontline states in the war.
Saraya Awliya al-Dam, a faction within Iraq’s Islamic Resistance Coordination, published footage of masked fighters launching explosive-laden drones. A handwritten note in the video claimed the attack happened on Wednesday and targeted what the group called “vital sites”.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) issued a strong condemnation of recent US airstrikes on its positions across Diyala, Kirkuk, Anbar, Nineveh, Salah al-Din, Wasit, and Babil, calling them “a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”. The PMF said the attacks since early March have left 27 dead and 50 injured, including nine fatalities and 10 wounded in Thursday’s strikes alone.
Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi has denounced the strikes, calling them “unacceptable acts that threaten Iraq’s security and stability and endanger social peace” and urged the government to protect security personnel.
The Ministry of Defence reported that Iraqi forces intercepted and shot down four explosive-laden drones targeting military units in Makhmour, causing no casualties. The 1st Battalion of the 50th Brigade, 14th Infantry Division, neutralised the suicide UAVs before they reached their intended targets.
Security analysts believe that groups such as Kataeb Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib al-Awfiya, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq have drones that can reach distances of over 200 kilometres, allowing attacks on Kuwait by the pro-Iran militias from Iraq’s southern-most areas.
Analysts warn that continued attacks may increase U.S.-Iraq tensions and prompt targeted strikes against militia leaders.
Before the current conflict, relations between Iraq and Kuwait were already strained. In February, Iraq submitted geographic coordinates for its sea boundaries and maritime zones under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Kuwait responded by summoning Iraq’s chargé d’affaires and filing a formal protest, claiming Iraq’s submission included Kuwaiti maritime areas and underwater features such as Fisht al-Qaid and Fisht al-Aij. Baghdad says it has not violated international law, stating that updating its maritime data complies with international regulations and clarifies which waters are under Iraqi control.
