Iran claims drone strike on U.S. radar in Bahrain as kingdom issues nationwide alerts

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said late on November 14 that its drones had attacked a U.S. air-defence radar installation in Bahrain, and Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued two nationwide alerts on Sunday morning as explosions and air-raid sirens sounded in the capital, Manama. Bahrain's Defence Force said its air defences intercepted and destroyed several incoming targets. As of publication, neither the United States nor Bahrain had confirmed that the radar was hit, and there were no reports of casualties or damage.

Guards: six drones hit radar at Riffa base

The Guards said in a statement carried by Iranian state television's Telegram channel, the Fars news agency and Press TV that six drones had targeted the U.S. air-defence radar system at the Al-Riffa helicopter base in Bahrain, describing the operation as a second phase of retaliation against the United States. The statement did not identify the radar type. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the Fifth Fleet, giving any threat to American facilities there significance beyond the kingdom.

Two nationwide alerts; blasts and sirens in Manama

Bahrain's Interior Ministry posted two alerts on X on Sunday morning, urging residents to remain calm, proceed to the nearest safe location and follow official channels for updates, without naming the source of the threat. They were the kingdom's first nationwide alerts since September, and the ministry lifted them less than an hour later, saying the danger had passed. An AFP journalist in Manama reported hearing explosions at about 4:00 a.m. local time, with a second series of blasts at about 6:30 a.m., as sirens sounded across the island.

Bahrain says interceptions succeeded; U.S. has not confirmed

The Bahrain Defence Force said its air defences had destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks, 'preventing them from reaching their intended targets', and accused Iran of a 'systematic hostile approach' against Bahraini territory. Bahrain's Foreign Ministry invoked United Nations Security Council resolutions and Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, the right of self-defence. As of publication, neither Washington nor Manama had confirmed that the radar was hit, and there was no confirmed account of damage or casualties; whether the blasts were interceptions or impacts also remains unverified.

Second incident in three days; Saudi Arabia also intercepts Houthi missiles

This is the second such incident in three days: on November 13 the Guards also claimed to have attacked a U.S. early-warning radar in Bahrain, a claim U.S. Central Command denied, saying two incoming drones were shot down with no casualties or damage. On the same day, the Saudi Press Agency said Saudi air defences had intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels toward Riyadh, plus three drones over the Eastern Province. The events unfold during a fragile lull in the wider U.S.-Iran conflict, which has continued since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets on February 28, 2026.

(File photo: the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. Photo: U.S. Navy.)