Kuwait has confronted attacks from Iran and its factions in Iraq by air, land and sea for about six months, while also foiling terrorist plots linked to cells affiliated with Hezbollah, Tehran's proxy in Lebanon, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Now the threat has taken a different turn: ISIS returned to the forefront of Kuwaiti minds this week after the Interior Ministry announced that it had foiled a terrorist plot against a vital facility in the country and arrested a Kuwaiti national affiliated with the terrorist group before he could carry out the plot.
The ministry said in a statement that investigations revealed that the suspect had received training in making explosives and drones and had manufactured a drone that he intended to use to carry out the plot.
The operation came a day after the State Security Service arrested two minors on charges of communicating with ISIS members after they had also received training in making explosives with the intention of attacking a place of worship belonging to a religious sect, according to the ministry's statement.
Kuwaiti political analyst Ayed Al Manaa said the foiling of an ISIS plot in Kuwait did not come as a surprise to him.
"ISIS members exist throughout the Islamic world because religious lessons in mosques and elsewhere have created this. Sometimes these lessons are exploited by extremists to form cells, allowing ISIS to return as it was in the past. This calls for strengthening both security and family oversight," said Mr Al Manaa.
Journalist Ghanem Al Sulaimani, meanwhile, said security challenges in Kuwait are significant today. "We are facing Iranian targeting and attempts by the terrorist ISIS to recruit minors and citizens ... There is no doubt that this is a serious threat to internal security."
Mr Al Sulaimani believes ISIS has previously attempted to undermine the security of Kuwait and the region, but those attempts were "confronted firmly". What is required now, he added, is to also be alert to the risk of cross-border recruitment of children through social media.
Legislation to strengthen oversight
In a statement issued after the arrest of the two minors, Kuwait's Interior Ministry urged parents to monitor their children and educate them about the risks of engaging in illegal ideas, behaviours or acts, while monitoring their use of social media and strengthening family oversight and guidance.
The warning comes as the Ministry of Social Affairs moves towards the adoption of clear legislation and legal regulations aimed at protecting minors from unsafe use of social media platforms, drawing on regional trends to regulate the ages at which social networks can be used.
The measures would include protecting children from any form of exploitation, including any recruitment attempts that terrorist organisations, including ISIS, may launch.
ISIS previously attacked Kuwait during Ramadan in 2015, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Imam Al Sadiq Mosque in the Al Sawaber area of Kuwait City as worshippers were performing Friday prayers. The attack killed 27 worshippers, and Kuwaitis mark its anniversary every year.
Pro-Iran cells
In March and April, as Kuwait's air defences dealt with repeated Iranian attacks, Kuwaitis were shocked when the Interior Ministry announced that it had dismantled four cells affiliated with the banned Hezbollah group, comprising Kuwaiti and Lebanese nationals as well as others whose Kuwaiti citizenship had been revoked. It also foiled terrorist plots that included plans to assassinate prominent figures and leaders in the state.
Mr Al Manaa noted that the problem in Kuwait and the Gulf states is that there are extremists on two sides.
"We have one extremist side that ISIS is trying to recruit and another extremist side that is completely loyal to Iran, such as the cells dismantled in Kuwait, despite the fact that Hezbollah is banned and dealing with and financing it is punishable by law," he said.
In May, Kuwaiti authorities foiled an attempt by four officers belonging to the IRGC to infiltrate Bubiyan Island with the aim of carrying out hostile acts. They had clashed with the Kuwaiti armed forces and wounded one of its members, while two members of the group fled. The suspects who were apprehended were referred to the judiciary.
Kuwait was attacked by Iran 17 times from July 8 through the first of this month, over a period of 23 days. The attacks hit power stations, water desalination plants, military and civilian facilities, a Chinese company, army vehicles, civilian companies and naval vessels.
Six members of the Kuwaiti military were injured, and a worker was killed when a building belonging to a Chinese company was attacked. During this period, the Abdali border crossing with Iraq was attacked twice in succession, while a power station was also attacked twice in succession, injuring two workers and firefighters.
Since mid-June, Kuwait has resumed flights from Terminal 4 at Kuwait International Airport after Terminal 1 was hit by an Iranian drone on June 3. The attack killed an Indian passenger and injured about 60 people, including passengers and airport employees, in addition to causing extensive material damage.
Abu Ali, a Kuwaiti taxi driver who works at Terminal 4, said the resumption of air traffic, even on a limited basis, has kept Kuwait connected to the world. “We are fine, and goods and supplies are reaching us from everywhere," he said.
