US military says it shot down two Iranian drones heading towards Bahrain

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said the US military shot down in the air two suicide drones sent by Iran towards Bahrain. The US made clear that no one was killed and no property was damaged in the incident. Amid the conflict in the Middle East, tension between the US and Iran appears to be rising once again.

According to CENTCOM, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had launched two one-way attack drones towards Bahrain. The US military brought both down before they reached their target. The US says no American soldier was injured in the action and no military property was damaged.

Little more information has emerged so far on where the drones were launched from and what exactly they were aimed at. The US has nonetheless viewed the move towards Bahrain as a potential security threat.

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard had claimed that it attacked and destroyed a US early-warning radar system in Bahrain. Iran says the action was in response to a US strike on a telecommunications tower in the Sirik area of southern Iran. CENTCOM has rejected the claim that a radar system in Bahrain was hit. The statements of the two countries thus clearly clash.

Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. The base is considered important for monitoring the security of sea routes in the Gulf region, military activity and conditions in the Strait of Hormuz. This has given drone activity towards Bahrain particular strategic significance.

The US-Iran conflict has put security arrangements in Gulf countries on greater alert. Drone attacks, possible threats to military bases and tension on sea routes have kept the situation in the region sensitive. Talk of attempts to target US military bases in Bahrain has created concern in the Gulf countries. The international community is watching what stance the two countries take next.