Drone attack temporarily closes Kuwait’s Abdali border crossing

BASRA — Explosions struck Kuwait’s Abdali border crossing Thursday after two drones targeted the facility, prompting Kuwaiti authorities to temporarily close the crossing, while Iraqi officials said no damage or security incidents were reported on the Iraqi side at the Safwan border crossing.

A security source told 964media the attack hit the Kuwaiti side of the Abdali crossing. The source said the security situation at Iraq’s Safwan crossing remained stable despite the incident.

The state-run Iraqi News Agency, citing a senior source, reported that Iraqi authorities received notification from Kuwait that the Abdali border crossing had been temporarily closed following the drone attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack came hours after Iran’s Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq was struck early Thursday, killing two people and injuring 11 others after the arrivals hall was hit during the Arbaeen pilgrimage season. The Shalamcheh crossing, opposite Iraq’s Basra governorate, is one of the main border points used by Iranian pilgrims traveling to Iraq for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage.

Arbaeen is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. It falls on the 40th day after Ashura, marking the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680. Millions of Shia Muslims from Iraq and beyond travel to Karbala each year, many walking long distances to reach the shrine where Imam Hussein is buried.

Later Thursday, Iraq’s Border Ports Authority announced that operations at the Shalamcheh crossing had resumed after a temporary suspension requested by the Iranian side following the attack.

The reported strikes come amid a new round of U.S. military strikes inside Iran and renewed tensions after Tehran threatened to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and target vessels transiting the waterway without coordination.