Many Kuwaitis were furious on Wednesday after an Iranian attack on the capital's main airport caused severe damage, killing one person and injuring several others, only three days after international flights had resumed.
The attack on the airport was the ninth on Kuwait since the Iran ceasefire was announced on April 7.
“This is a provocative act of aggression against us and an attempt to undermine our stability,” Kuwaiti citizen Ali Rashid told The National. “I felt intense anger and shock. What do they want from us?”
The “strikes felt stronger than ever before. The windows of my home shook and my children were terrified. But we trust in the ability of our armed forces to confront these criminal attacks on our territory,” he added.
Umm Ahmed, an Egyptian pharmacist preparing to return permanently to Cairo on an Egypt Air flight, said she was awaiting developments and updates from Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
“My husband left with our son two weeks ago, while I stayed behind until my daughter completed her British secondary school exams remotely,” she said. “Now I don't know what I will do after the damage to the terminal that handles Arab and international flights, while the money I have with me continues to dwindle.”
At least one person was killed in the Iranian drone strike on the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport, according to the country's Foreign Ministry, which condemned the “brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks” on civilian infrastructure.
Hospitals in Kuwait received 63 injured people and seven emergency operations were carried out, the Health Ministry announced. Ministry spokesman Dr Abdullah Al Sanad said the health system has been on full emergency footing since the onset of the attack, with medical facilities and personnel mobilised to respond.
A woman identified as Reem questioned the fate of a German-language exam she is due to sit at the end of the month in Kuwait, as part of her application to a German university, and whether examiners will be able to travel to Kuwait in the current circumstances.
“I fear the exam will be cancelled, as happened in Lebanon, disrupting my university enrolment,” she said. “I am extremely worried.”
Since the outbreak of war on February 28, many Kuwaitis and expatriates have abandoned plans to travel during the summer holidays, fearing hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran will reignite.
No desert camping
Despite the US-Iran ceasefire announced on April 7, the Kuwaiti military has intercepted several drones and missiles launched from Iraq and Iran. Authorities also arrested four officers affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after they allegedly attempted to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in north-eastern Kuwait.
Since last week, Iran has launched four attacks on Kuwait, while the military has announced the interception of several missiles and drones without disclosing any intended targets.
During the days of conflict, Kuwait International Airport was targeted seven times. Three of the attacks struck fuel storage sites, sparking fires, one of which required 58 hours of firefighting efforts involving civil defence, the military and the National Guard.
The airport's radar system also suffered significant damage after being struck twice by drones launched by Iran and its regional proxies, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
At the start of the war, a drone attack on Kuwait International Airport caused damage to the passenger terminal and left several workers with injuries. The new Kuwait Airport Terminal 2 project was also targeted in a separate drone strike, resulting in limited damage, the Ministry of Public Works said.
The conflict also forced Kuwaitis to cut short the desert camping season, which had been scheduled to end in mid-March after three and a half months. As Iranian attacks intensified, Kuwait Municipality revoked all spring camping permits in early March and instructed campsite owners to dismantle their sites about two weeks before the season's planned conclusion to protect public safety.
Throughout the war, numerous strategic sites across Kuwait were targeted. These included the Mina Al Ahmadi refinery, which was attacked by drones on three occasions, as well as the Mina Abdullah refinery and several plants belonging to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the Petrochemical Industries Company.
Targets also included the Ministries Complex and the Public Institution for Social Security building in central Kuwait City, as well as power generation and water desalination plants, and the ports of Shuwaikh and Mubarak Al Kabeer.
Seven deaths were recorded during the conflict, including four military personnel.
For Mariam Al Ali, the sudden developments have jeopardised her mother's cancer treatment.
“My mother and I were supposed to travel to Paris to continue her treatment at Gustave Roussy Hospital, but we do not know what will happen now after flights through Terminal 1 were suspended. We are waiting for updates from the airlines,” she told The National.
