A view of Manama, Bahrain, is shown in March of 2026. (Stars and Stripes)
MANAMA, Bahrain — An Iranian drone damaged a water desalination plant in Bahrain on Sunday, raising fears about attacks on the region’s drinking-water infrastructure as Operation Epic Fury stretches into its second week.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said the drone struck the plant Sunday morning and accused Tehran of “indiscriminately” attacking civilian targets. The Electricity and Water Authority confirmed that water and electricity services to residents were not affected.
The island kingdom of Bahrain is home to thousands of U.S. service members and their families. Many live in the capital of Manama near a U.S. Navy base that has been attacked repeatedly since U.S. and Israeli forces began striking Iran on Feb. 28.
The desalination plant attack came a day after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps accused the U.S. of striking an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, which is north of the U.A.E. and Oman in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday’s strike on Bahrain’s facilities was retaliation for the U.S. attack. The U.S. military has not confirmed striking the Iranian plant.
Iran has fired counterstrikes at more than a dozen nations in the last week. The recent attacks have raised worries about the conflict expanding to critical civilian infrastructure.
Desalination plants convert seawater into drinking water for millions of people across the Middle East.
The region relies on over 400 Persian Gulf desalination plants run by Gulf Cooperation Council states, which produce about 40% of the world’s desalinated water. Desalination provides roughly 90% of Kuwait’s drinking water; 86% in Oman; 70% in Saudi Arabia; and 42% in the UAE according to the Washington-based Arab Center.
Also in Bahrain on Sunday, the interior ministry said falling missile debris injured three people and damaged a university building in the Muharraq area, an island northwest of Manama. Air raid sirens warned residents to take shelter.
Missile fragments struck a main road, injuring one person and damaging several shops, causing evacuations.
Manama is home to U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain, which hosts the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet and is one of numerous U.S. installations that have come under attack across the Middle East since the war began.
Bahrain’s airspace remained closed Sunday and the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia remains the primary ground route out of the country.
Service members and other members of the U.S. military community are relying on local markets for food and daily supplies after the on-base commissaries were shuttered when Iranian missiles and drones hit the Navy base.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce has begun enforcement actions against businesses accused of price gouging, according to local media, shutting down at least one food store.
