Kuwait City [Kuwait], July 18 (ANI): Kuwait was subjected to a barrage of Iranian missile strikes on Saturday as hostilities between the United States and Iran escalated sharply, forcing an immediate halt to all aviation operations and damaging critical elements of the Gulf nation's power grid and water desalination infrastructure.

Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Kuwait from the early hours of Saturday morning, prompting authorities to warn residents to seek shelter and remain indoors as inbound missiles launched from Iran breached Kuwaiti airspace.

Detailing the offensive, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its forces had targeted the Arifjan Ground Forces Support Centre in Kuwait, claiming that the strike had killed several US troops stationed at the facility as part of the 18th wave of its 'Operation Nasr 2.'

Additionally, the IRGC claimed to have executed a targeted drone strike that successfully neutralised the radar installation at the US Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.

Further escalating the maritime and communication front, Iranian state media reported assertions by the IRGC Navy that its units had deployed drones and missiles against the US Navy's fuel support pier located at Kuwait's Al Ahmadi Port.

The IRGC further claimed to have struck and dismantled a US signalling and communications hub within the country.

The kinetic strikes caused immediate disruption to international travel, with Al Jazeera reporting that Kuwait Airways has suspended all flight operations at Kuwait International Airport following the total closure of the national airspace by state authorities.

The flag carrier confirmed that both inbound and outbound flights at the country's primary aviation hub were frozen due to the rapid deterioration of regional security.

This operational halt followed an earlier announcement by Kuwait Airways regarding comprehensive flight rescheduling implemented as a safeguard against the evolving threat environment.

Simultaneously, the strikes dealt a direct blow to the domestic utility network. According to Al Jazeera, Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy confirmed that a fire broke out in one of the components of a power and water desalination plant in the wake of the latest Iranian bombardments.

'This necessitated precautionary operational measures, consisting of disconnecting a number of generating units to preserve the safety of the plant and its workers and to ensure the stability of the electrical grid,' the ministry said in a statement.

To mitigate the impact of the infrastructure damage and prevent widespread outages, the utility administration deployed its emergency protocols across the network.

'The Ministry confirms that all operational and emergency plans were activated immediately upon the occurrence of the incident, ensuring the continuity and stability of both the electricity and water networks and limiting any potential impact on service, with technical and operational monitoring continuing around the clock,' the ministry added in the statement. (ANI)