The Kingdom of Bahrain was a direct victim of the expanding U.S.-Israel-Iran war on Saturday night, February 28, 2026, as an Iranian kamikaze drone hit a residential high-rise in the capital city, Manama. The attack captured in harrowing social media videos turned one of the island country’s most upscale skyscrapers into a giant inferno, ushering in a perilous new phase.
The Attack on Juffair District
Several residential structures in the capital were identified as part of the attack, according to the Bahraini Ministry of Interior. The biggest impact dealt with the Juffair district, a residential area popular among expatriates and near the U.S. naval base. In authenticated footage, a Shahed-class drone collided with the upper floors of a major skyscraper, erupting and sparking a firestorm.
“Civil Defence is on site conducting firefighting and rescue operations,” the Ministry said on X (formerly Twitter). The number of casualties inside the building is still being assessed, but early reports said that multiple residents inside are under treatment because of smoke inhalation and burns.
BREAKING: Iranian drone hits high-rise building in Bahrain pic.twitter.com/Bx2Oaw47np
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 28, 2026
Retaliation, the "Truthful Promise 4"
Tehran itself had claimed direct responsibility for the strikes under “Operation Truthful Promise 4,” claiming it was targeting U.S. military bases throughout the Gulf following the joint American-Israeli “preventive” strikes against Iran. Bahrain’s air defense systems blocked multiple ballistic missiles, but it was hard for the vast number of low-flying drones to completely disable operations. The Bahraini government denounced the attack as a “treacherous attack” and “a flagrant violation of sovereignty,” and noted its right to retaliation against the bombing of a civilian population.
An Unwitting Casualty
Bahrain, a major security partner to the United States and a signatory to the Abraham Accords with Israel, has been a target of Iranian rhetoric for years. Still, the direct impact on civilian skyscrapers marks a pivot from historical shadow-war behavior to overt hostility. With strikes now reported on the Palm Jumeirah and Kuwait confirming a drone attack on its international airport terminal, the entire “island kingdom” and its neighboring countries are currently preparing for a long-lasting battle that has nowhere to go but up.
