By Home Affairs Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Iran claimed Thursday it had launched a drone strike on a key US military base in Bahrain, saying it targeted critical infrastructure at Sheikh Isa Air Base hours after American strikes killed three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in northwestern Iran.
In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, Iran’s army said the operation was carried out in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian Air Force Su-24 pilot at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February.
The army’s public relations office said one-way attack drones struck power generators, navigation systems and administrative and support buildings used by what it described as the US military at Sheikh Isa Air Base.
Iran’s military claimed repeated attacks on US bases across the region in recent days had inflicted “significant damage” on military equipment and facilities despite multiple layers of air defence.
It described Sheikh Isa Air Base as one of the most important US military installations in the Gulf, saying it hosts reconnaissance aircraft and serves as a major maintenance centre for helicopters and drone components.
According to the statement, the attacks had caused serious damage to the base’s combat and logistical support capabilities.
There was no immediate comment from Bahraini or US authorities on the claims.
The strike claim came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had completed a “heavy wave” of strikes against Iran in response to what it described as attempted missile attacks targeting US forces in the Middle East.
Iranian media later reported that three members of the IRGC were killed in one of the strikes.
Citing a statement from the IRGC’s provincial branch, the Fars news agency said the “brutal attack” targeted the northwestern province of Zanjan.
No further details of the strike were immediately released.
The latest military exchanges came as Iraq rejected Saudi accusations that attacks on the Kingdom’s petroleum facilities had been launched from Iraqi territory.
“No party has so far provided any evidence proving that,” Prime Minister’s spokesman Sabah Al-Numan told the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
He called for “evidence and proof regarding claims that attacks were launched from inside Iraq.”
“The security establishment is currently preparing a comprehensive security plan to prevent the recurrence of attacks and fully preserve Iraq’s sovereignty,” Al-Numan said.
“The official security forces are exclusively responsible for the security file and will not allow any weapons outside the framework of the state,” he added.
“The government will not allow any individual actions from inside the country and, at the same time, will not accept any violation coming from beyond the borders,” he said.
Al-Numan said Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Ali Al-Zaidi’s visit to the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), where he was briefed on attacks against the group’s personnel in several provinces, affirmed that the PMF is “an integral part of the national defence system.”
The Iraqi statement followed Tuesday night’s precision strikes by US and Saudi forces against targets linked to PMF groups in Iraq.
CENTCOM said the operation targeted sites connected to attacks on US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia said the strikes were conducted in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter following attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the kingdom’s petroleum facilities and warned it would take further military action if Iran-backed groups carried out additional attacks.
The Popular Mobilization Forces, which was at the forefront of defeating ISIS in Iraq after US forces left Baghdad defenceless, said several of its headquarters were hit, killing at least 20 members, wounding 32 others and causing extensive property damage.
Iran condemned the strikes as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Israel continues to violate ceasefire agreement with Lebanon by bombing Lebanon
Israel also intensified military operations in southern Lebanon overnight Wednesday into Thursday, carrying out drone strikes and detonating explosives in several towns while drones flew over Beirut and its southern suburbs despite the US-sponsored “framework formula” agreement.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), an Israeli drone struck the Msha al-Mansouri area in Tyre district, while an Israeli naval vessel was spotted off the coast of Mansouri.
Residents of Tyre heard a series of powerful explosions after midnight as Israeli forces detonated explosives in Mansouri, Majdal Zoun and Mazraat Beit al-Sayyad. The blasts coincided with Israeli machine-gun fire toward Wadi al-Hujair and Wadi al-Saluki.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Israeli drones also flew over Beirut and its southern suburbs, the agency reported.
The operations came despite the June 26 signing of the US-sponsored “framework formula” agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, which provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of armed groups, in an apparent reference to Hezbollah.
On July 21, the Lebanese army began deploying in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh as part of the first phase of implementing the agreement following the Israeli army’s withdrawal. The town is one of the designated “pilot areas” under the first phase.
Despite the agreement, Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the 2023-2024 war. During its latest operations, Israeli forces also advanced more than 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 4,333 people and injured 12,236 others.
Israeli also attacked Palestinians in West Bank
Israeli forces also launched new operations in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, raiding the town of Tell southwest of Nablus and converting four Palestinian homes into military barracks, according to local sources.
The forces also raided the area between Tell and Surra, with no immediate reports of arrests or confrontations. The raid came days after Israeli occupiers attacked Tell, killing four Palestinians and two Israelis while setting fire to Palestinian homes and property, amid accusations that the Israeli army provided protection to the attackers. It also coincided with calls by Israeli occupiers to hold a march on Friday to the site where two Israelis were killed near the town.
Separately, the al-Baidar rights group said Israeli occupiers began establishing a new illegal settlement outpost on Palestinian land in the village of Fuqu’a, northeast of Jenin.
The move followed another outpost established on Tuesday on land belonging to the town of Yasuf, east of Salfit. Yasuf village council head Jumaa Abdel Fattah told Anadolu that Israeli occupiers installed a tent in the Al-Nasba area about 50 meters (164 feet) from Palestinian homes.
According to Peace Now, there are currently 141 Israeli settlements and 360 settlement outposts in the West Bank, in addition to 15 settlements in East Jerusalem.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 states that Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.
In an advisory opinion issued in July 2024, the International Court of Justice said Israel’s continued presence in the occupied
Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end as soon as possible.
According to official Palestinian figures, more than 1,182 Palestinians have been killed, around 13,000 injured and nearly 24,000 arrested across the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli occupiers carried out 3,488 attacks against Palestinians and their property during the first half of 2026.
[Photo: Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine on July 31, 2026. Israeli forces imposed security measures during the operation. Photojournalist: Issam Rimawi/AA]
