Iran Launches Massive Missile and Drone Wave Across Gulf

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a massive coordinated offensive known as Wave 91 of Operation True Promise 4 on April 3, 2026. The strikes targeted central Tel Aviv, Haifa, and strategic airbases in Israel, while simultaneously hitting U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and destroying an early warning radar system at the al-Dhafra base in the United Arab Emirates. The IRGC claimed the attacks forced 5 million people into bunkers in Israel.

Across the Gulf, Iran targeted critical energy and water infrastructure. In Kuwait, strikes hit the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery and a power and desalination plant, causing fires and material damage. The UAE experienced strikes on the Habshan gas facilities and Emirates Global Aluminium plants in the Khalifa Industrial Zone, the latter of which may take 12 months to recover production. Falling debris from intercepted projectiles injured at least 12 people in Abu Dhabi's Ajban area and caused fatalities in Fujairah.

While Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain reported successful interceptions of thousands of projectiles, the IRGC denied responsibility for the infrastructure attacks in Kuwait, calling them "unconventional and illegitimate" operations by U.S.-Israeli aggressors. Conversely, the Israel Defense Forces denied knowledge of the Kuwaiti strikes. In response to the escalation, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to "obliterate" Iranian desalination plants and suggested the U.S. could take control of the Strait of Hormuz to access oil.