For nearly a month, Kuwait, long associated with calm and stability, has been shaken by waves of Iranian missiles and drones cutting through its skies.
On Wednesday, authorities announced that 293 missiles and 571 drones had entered Kuwaiti airspace since the war began. Most were intercepted, but enough got through to leave a mark.
A residential apartment in Mangaf, facing the sea, was hit. Critical infrastructure, including the Social Insurance building in central Kuwait City, has been targeted repeatedly. The airport alone was struck six times, the latest before dawn on Wednesday, igniting a fire that burned for hours as thick smoke drifted across nearby districts.
Yet even as sirens wail and air defence systems roar into action, Kuwait has settled into something resembling normal life, fragile routines shaped by risk.
A country on edge
Iranian attacks typically begin in the early evening and continue until dawn. For many Kuwaitis, the sounds trigger memories of past traumas: the 1990 Iraqi invasion, the bombings of the 1980s, and the attempted assassination of the late emir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
For Umm Hamad, a mother of four in her forties, the war has redrawn the map of her home. "I have moved my children’s beds away from windows and balconies, fearing glass shattering from nearby blasts."
Others have improvised. In Hawalli, an Egyptian resident named Samah has placed a wardrobe in front of her children’s bedroom window to shield them from flying shards after the Interior Ministry advised residents to stay away from glass surfaces and windows when sirens sound, or suspicious objects are detected.
Since the start of the attacks, two naval personnel and two border security officers have been killed while on duty. A young Iranian girl, asleep in her home in Qadsiya, died when missile shrapnel tore through the building. Dozens more, including soldiers, have been injured.
Those on the front lines have barely left their posts. “They have shot down the majority of the missiles and drones,” one official said. “We are proud of their performance and their sacrifices.”
Adapting under fire
Institutions have bent, but not broken. Schools, which reopened after the Eid Al Fitr holiday, have shifted back to online learning. Kuwait’s experience during the Covid-19 pandemic and years of investment in digital infrastructure have softened the transition.
Umm Hamad sees no issue with the arrangement. “Teachers are doing everything they can to keep education going,” she said. “The ministry has provided everything; they even delivered textbooks to our homes.”
In parallel, daily life continues, almost defiantly. Families visit one another. Social traditions endure. But this year’s Eid was anything but ordinary.
Air raid sirens blared alongside the thunder of interceptions during dawn, Eid, and Friday prayers. Still, mosques were filled. Celebrations went on despite being tempered by anger at what many see as Iran’s deliberate targeting of civilian and economic infrastructure.
Meanwhile, precautionary measures have tightened. Weddings, concerts, and theatre performances are suspended indefinitely. Government attendance has been reduced to 30 per cent in many departments. Nearly 200 reinforced shelters designed to withstand blasts, radiation, and chemical threats have been prepared across the country.
No panic
Despite the war, there is no rush to supermarkets. Shelves remain full, and prices are stable, after authorities imposed strict controls and deployed inspection teams, warning against profiteering.
With Kuwaiti airspace closed, goods now arrive overland via Saudi Arabia, primarily through the Salmi border crossing. Lorries loaded with food and consumer goods stream towards the capital. Even fish, a staple of the Kuwaiti diet, continues to reach markets, despite a temporary ban on fishing for security reasons.
“We didn’t stockpile anything,” said Khawla Al Rashed, shopping at a co-operative in Khalidiya. “Everything is available. The market is full, and prices are the same as before the war.”
Authorities have sought to maintain transparency through daily briefings detailing interceptions, threats, and security operations. Security forces have dismantled three terrorist cells linked to Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested both Kuwaiti and foreign suspects.
The arrests have shocked the public. “How can citizens betray their own country?” asked Mohammad Al Shammari, a question echoing across a nation adapting to a war it did not choose.
