{"id":1913,"date":"2026-07-18T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/07\/18\/middle-east-live-kuwait-accuses-iran-of-targeting-civilian-sites-vital-infrastructure\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T11:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:00:21","slug":"middle-east-live-kuwait-accuses-iran-of-targeting-civilian-sites-vital-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=1913","title":{"rendered":"Middle East live: Kuwait accuses Iran of targeting civilian sites, vital infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"t-content t-content--article t-content--liveblog\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__above-main\">\n<div class=\"a-status-tag a-status-tag--breaking\">Live<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">Middle East live: Kuwait accuses Iran of targeting civilian sites, vital infrastructure<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:02:22+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:02<\/time><\/span><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Modified: <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T10:55:48+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 12:55<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                        <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author\">\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/author\/france-24\/\" title=\"FRANCE 24\" class=\"m-author__name__title\"><br \/>\n                                FRANCE 24<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main-media\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a717986a-8278-11f1-aee4-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/000-C2G42T4.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a717986a-8278-11f1-aee4-005056bf30b7\/w:388\/p:16x9\/000-C2G42T4.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a717986a-8278-11f1-aee4-005056bf30b7\/w:720\/p:16x9\/000-C2G42T4.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a717986a-8278-11f1-aee4-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/000-C2G42T4.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"A screen grab shows a missile being launched towards US targets in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman in video footage released on July 17, 2026 by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)'s Sepah News website.\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                A screen grab shows a missile being launched towards US targets in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman in video footage released on July 17, 2026 by Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)&#8217;s Sepah News website.        \u00a9 AFP     <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main\" data-article-content>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                Kuwait accused Iran on Saturday of targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure in the country, after reporting attacks on an oil facility and a power and water plant. Tehran launched attacks on US military sites hosted by several of its Gulf neighbours in response to a seventh night of US strikes on Iran overnight on Friday.\u00a0Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.            <\/p>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"em-WBMZ568977-F24-EN-20260718\" class=\"m-em-liveblog\" data-liveblog>\n<div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T10:34:18+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 12:34<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Kuwait accuses Iran of targeting civilian sites, vital infrastructure<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;The repeated targeting of these vital facilities reveals a systematic hostile approach targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure that endangers the lives and safety of civilians,&#8221; the foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T10:23:38+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 12:23<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Kuwait army confirms iranian drone threats<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T10:16:46+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 12:16<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reports damage and injuries from Iranian attacks, state media says<\/h2>\n<p>Kuwait \u2060Petroleum \u200bCorporation \u200bsaid one of its \u200boil \u200cfacilities \u2060was \u200chit by &#8220;repeated Iranian attacks&#8221;, \u200bresulting \u200cin significant material \u200cdamage \u200band some injuries, according to \u200bKuwait\u2019s \u200bstate news \u200bagency.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T09:13:08+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 11:13<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Iran attack sparks two fires in Kuwait, firefighters injured, fire service says<\/h2>\n<p>Kuwait&#8217;s fire service said Iranian attacks have sparked fires at two locations in the country, with several firemen injured, after an attack was reported at a power and water plant.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The fire service said on X that it was dealing with &#8220;two fires that erupted in two different locations&#8221; following the latest Iranian attacks, adding that this &#8220;resulted in injuries among firemen and a worker&#8221;, who were taken to receive care.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T09:04:02+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 11:04<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>US strikes hit Iran for seventh consecutive night<\/h2>\n<p>The US launched seventh night of US strikes on Iran overnight on Friday. FRANCE 24\u2019s Morgan Ayre reports.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T07:37:19+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 09:37<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Bahrain activates air sirens warning of possible missiles<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T07:32:14+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 09:32<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Lebanon&#8217;s Aoun departs for Washington to meet Trump<\/h2>\n<p>Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has left Beirut for Washington, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump, the Lebanese presidency said, after talks between Lebanon and Israel wrapped up in Italy.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Aoun will hold discussions &#8220;with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire&#8221;, particularly in Lebanon&#8217;s south, as well as on &#8220;the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies&#8221;, the presidency said.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T07:26:36+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 09:26<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>US media reports military is preparing to escalate Iran conflict<\/h2>\n<p>The US on Saturday said it had launched a seventh wave of strikes on Iran overnight targeting military infrastructure as US media reports suggest that the military making preparations to escalate its attacks on Tehran. FRANCE 24&#8217;s Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T06:37:08+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 08:37<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Kuwait says Iran hit second power and water plant<\/h2>\n<p>A \u2060fire \u200bhas broken out \u200bat a second power generation and water \u200bdesalination \u200cplant \u2060in \u200cKuwait after an Iranian \u2060attack, the country&#8217;s Electricity, Water \u200band Renewable \u200cEnergy Ministry said, \u200cadding that \u200bseveral power generation units were shut down.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>It \u200bsaid \u200befforts were \u200bunder way to \u200bcontain the fire and carry out repairs.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T06:04:34+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 08:04<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Iran&#8217;s IRGC says it targeted Bahrain&#8217;s Sheikh Isa Air Base and Kuwait&#8217;s Al Ahmadi Port<\/h2>\n<p>\u2060Iran&#8217;s \u2060Revolutionary \u200bGuards said \u200bthey targeted a site where US combat \u200baircraft \u200cwere \u2060gathered at Sheikh \u200cIsa Air Base \u2060and an intelligence data centre \u200bin Bahrain known \u200cas Batelco, Iran&#8217;s state \u200cmedia reported.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The \u200bguards also targeted a US naval fuel-support \u200bpier at Al \u200bAhmadi \u200bPort and a \u200bUS signals and communications centre in Kuwait, state \u2060media reported.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T06:03:43+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 08:03<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Kuwait Airways reschedules most flights after airport suspension following Iranian attack<\/h2>\n<p>Kuwait \u200bAirways \u200bsaid it has \u200brescheduled \u200cmost \u2060flights \u200cafter the country \u2060temporarily suspended operations at \u200bKuwait International \u200cAirport following Iranian missile \u200cand drone \u200battacks.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The airline had earlier said \u200bthe \u200brescheduling \u200bwas due \u200bto the closure of Kuwaiti airspace.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:16:19+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:16<\/time>                        <\/p>\n<ul id=\"posts-summary\">\n<li><a href=\"#post=KmsbEFqTq2kdlUG5QW1p\">Tehran threatens &#8216;full-scale offensive&#8217; if US strikes continue<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#post=wXpdJjDqMMyHt5PwycbS\">US launches seventh night of airstrikes on Iran targeting military sites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#post=Oaf0pr7G6TgBkEdfVGcj\">Iran targets Gulf neighbours: Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#post=zPzMtId5BKVP1Z3sOMzE\">Kuwait says Iran hit second power and water plant<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:11:47+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:11<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>US strikes kill 3, wound 8 in south, Iranian state media says<\/h2>\n<p>US attacks killed three people and wounded eight in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, state news agency IRNA has reported.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The deputy political, security and social affairs governor of Hormozgan announced the martyrdom of three people and the injury of eight people following enemy attacks on some parts of Hormozgan province this morning,&#8221; IRNA said on Telegram.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:10:52+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:10<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Iran targets Gulf neighbours: Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain<\/h2>\n<p>Iran&#8217;s army said it struck US military targets in Kuwait and Jordan in response to American attacks and targeted a base in Bahrain.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The targets in <strong>Kuwait<\/strong> were tied to the Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al-Salem base. Kuwait&#8217;s army wrote on X on Saturday that explosions may be heard as a result of &#8220;air defense systems intercepting hostile targets&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Kuwait<\/strong> earlier reported an Iranian attack on a power and water plant and said seven of its military personnel had been wounded in a drone attack on army facilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The targets in <strong>Jordan<\/strong> were fuel tanks at the Al-Azraq base. Jordan&#8217;s army said it had shot down 10 Iranian missiles with no casualties or damage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Air raid sirens were sounded in <strong>Bahrain<\/strong>, which hosts a major US naval base, according to the country&#8217;s interior ministry. Bahrain and Qatar earlier said they had intercepted missiles.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:09:13+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:09<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Blasts heard in central Iran<\/h2>\n<p>Five explosions were heard in the central Iranian city of Yazd shortly after US strikes were announced, according to the IRNA state news agency.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Mehr, another state-controlled agency, reported explosions &#8220;in several provinces in the south&#8221; of the country.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:07:33+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:07<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>US launches seventh night of airstrikes on Iran targeting military sites<\/h2>\n<p>US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X that it &#8220;hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities,&#8221; as American forces concluded strikes on Iran for the seventh consecutive night.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.eu.getarena.im\/cm\/6a5b32420dd7f513efd49314.JPG\"><em>A screen grab from handout video footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 17, 2026 shows what the US military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on strategic Iranian military sites. \u00a9 Reuters<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T05:06:39+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 07:06<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>US denies Iran&#8217;s claim that tankers struck mines in Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n<p>Two oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz struck mines, according to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards &#8212; a claim denied by the US military.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The Guards said the tankers that hit mines were directed by &#8220;deceptive American intelligence agencies&#8221; and had caught fire.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>CENTCOM issued a brief denial, saying on X, &#8220;Like most IRGC claims, this is false.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The Guards said separately that they had &#8220;stopped&#8221; four ships attempting to transit the strategic passage.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T04:57:03+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 06:57<\/time><\/p>\n<h2>Tehran threatens &#8216;full-scale offensive&#8217; if US strikes continue<\/h2>\n<p>Tehran threatened to resume &#8220;full-scale offensive operations&#8221; if US strikes continue over the coming days, Major General Mohsen Rezaei said, according to state-controlled news agency IRIB.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Iran will no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses&#8230; and no political border will be safe,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T04:47:27+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 06:47<\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div>\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-07-18T04:46:52+00:00\">18\/07\/2026 &#8211; 06:46<\/time>                        <\/p>\n<p>Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260716-middle-east-live-us-strikes-in-iran-hit-airport-bridges-and-railway-station\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> to catch up on what happened yesterday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260716-middle-east-live-us-strikes-in-iran-hit-airport-bridges-and-railway-station\" target=\"_self\">Yesterday&#8217;s key developments:<\/a><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>US airstrikes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260717-civilian-infrastructure-hit-as-us-and-iran-escalate-attacks-across-the-middle-east\" target=\"_self\">hit key infrastructure<\/a> in Iran\u00a0including bridges and a port surveillance tower prompting Iranian officials for the first time to cite\u00a0&#8220;attacks on power infrastructure&#8221; in a call for members of the public to use less <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/electricity\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">electricity<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Tehran launched attacks on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/us-military\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">US military<\/a> sites in the Gulf in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/bahrain\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Bahrain<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/kuwait\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Kuwait<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/qatar\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Qatar<\/a>. The strikes damaged a\u00a0desalination and electricity plant in Kuwait.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/iran\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Iran<\/a> said\u00a038 people have been killed and more than 400 injured in US strikes since June 22, 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__below-main\">\n<div class=\"t-content__tags\">\n<div class=\"m-section-title m-section-title--small\">Keywords for this article<\/div>\n<ul class=\"m-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/iran\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Iran\">    Iran<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/iran-conflict\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Iran war\">    Iran war<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/usa\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"USA\">    USA<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Strait of Hormuz\">    Strait of Hormuz<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Live Middle East live: Kuwait accuses Iran of targeting civilian sites, vital infrastructure Middle East&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}