Exclusive-Bahrain cites Patriot interception in March 9 Iranian drone incident
Tweet
Share
E-mail
Debris lies on the street following reported Iranian drone strikes, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Sitra, Bahrain, March 9, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
By Jonathan Landay, M.B. Pell and Maha El Dahan
DUBAI/WASHINGTON March 21 (Reuters) - A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain's government said on Saturday, an incident that the U.S. military had characterised as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the U.S. military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighbourhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
"During this incident, the Patriot air defence system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially," they said.
"Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life."
U.S. Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a U.S. Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
The U.S.‑made Patriot surface‑to‑air missile defence system is designed to intercept missiles, drones and other aerial attacks.
It has been used by the United States and Gulf Arab allies including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar to protect cities, energy infrastructure and military bases from Iranian missile and drone attacks during the Iran war.
(Writing by Andrew Mills; Editing by Edmund Blair and Kevin Liffey)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- China's Lumos eyes fresh funding, potential listing as factory robot sales grow
- Glencore’s planned Australian debut draws interest as investors look past coal
- South Korea's Lee backs stronger self-defence, says drills not aimed at North Korea
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
