Iran-backed militia threatens UAE, Kuwait in response to Israel-Hamas war

Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have upped their threats against the US and Israel amid the ongoing war.

Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq, an Iran-backed militia believed to be linked to the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah militia, threatened to target bases where American forces are housed in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in response to the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday evening.

“After the persistence of the Zionist entity and its supporters in exterminating our people in steadfast Palestine, and the killing, displacement, and destruction we are witnessing today against the patient, struggling Palestinian people, we affirm that our patience has limits, and we give good news to the honorable and zealous members of our nation, that we consider the American bases in Kuwait and the Emirates as legitimate targets for us, in response to the crimes of the Zionist entity and America, and in revenge for the martyrs of beloved Palestine,” said Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq in a statement published on its social media channels.

The militia has claimed attacks against Gulf states in the past, including a drone attack in which three drones were intercepted by the UAE in February 2022, although most drone and missile attacks toward Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent years have been claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, which has also threatened to intervene in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Iran-backed militias across the region have upped their threats against Israel and the US, with several rocket and drone attacks targeting US forces in Syria and Iraq in recent weeks.