The Kuwait Army announced it was intercepting hostile aerial targets after Iranian media reported Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait early Wednesday morning, report agencies.

The IRGC also said they had targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, Iranian media reported.

The Guards said the targets included F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control center, and warned they were ready to deliver a "crushing and decisive" response to any further US attack.

Sirens also sounded in Bahrain early on Wednesday after Iran, according to Bahrain's Ministry of Interior.

Axios Global Affairs Correspondent Barak Ravid cited a US official as saying that four ballistic missiles and several more drones were fired by Iran at US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. 

The New York Times cited a US official as saying that while Iran launched multiple missiles and drones at various US bases in the Middle East, nearly all were intercepted and there have been no reports of US casualties or damages to the bases from the attacks.

Retaliation for US strikes

The strikes were in retaliation for US strikes launched on Tuesday evening, which struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced. 

The strikes were described by CENTCOM as "self-defense strikes" and as "a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."

The US strikes were in retaliation for the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM.

Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive.

Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.

Soon after Trump made his accusation that Iran shot down the aircraft, Araghchi said the strait is “thousands of miles away from US shores".

"Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire," Araghchi wrote on social media. "To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave."

END/REUTERS/AP/ASA

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

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