Bahrain
Iran targets sites in Bahrain, Kuwait after wave of U.S. strikes
Iran targets sites in Bahrain, Kuwait after wave of U.S. strikes Security forces stand guard in front of a portrait of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as mourners gather for a funeral procession in Najaf on Wednesday. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday after the U.S. launched a wave of military strikes on Iran in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. In the latest blow to the fragile ceasefire agreement, the IRGC said it carried out a joint missile and drone operation against key U.S. military sites in Bandar Salman, Bahrain's Fifth Naval District and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone attempting to interfere in the operation. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti army said air defenses were confronting "hostile" missile and drone attacks. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
Diplomatic duties for Tim Cook after stepping down as Apple CEO
John Ternus ascends the throne - but Cook will stay on to manage tech giant's foreign policy as executive chair Tim Cook becomes Apple's elder statesman Apple announced late on Monday that Tim Cook will step down as CEO but will not leave the iPhone maker. Head of hardware engineering John Ternus will succeed him on 1 September. "I love Apple with all of my being," Cook said in a press release announcing his succession. Cook, 65, who succeeded Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has been CEO since 2011. With a reputation for operational and supply chain management, he has overseen the global expansion of the company and its steady series of new, updated devices, though he never attained the same visionary status as Jobs.
Meet the Gods of AI Warfare
In its early days, the AI initiative known as Project Maven had its fair share of skeptics at the Pentagon. Today, many of them are true believers. The rise of AI warfare speaks to the biggest moral and practical question there is: Who--or what--gets to decide to take a human life? And who bears that cost? In 2018, more than 3,000 Google workers protested the company's involvement in "the business of war" after finding out the company was part of Project Maven, then a nascent Pentagon effort to use computer vision to rifle through copious video footage taken in America's overseas drone wars. They feared Project Maven's AI could one day be used for lethal targeting. In my yearslong effort to uncover the full story of Project Maven for my book,, I learned that is exactly what happened, and that the undertaking was just as controversial inside the Pentagon. Today, the tool known as Maven Smart System is being used in US operations against Iran . How the US military's top brass moved from skepticism about the use of AI in war to true believers has a lot to do with a Marine colonel named Drew Cukor. In early September 2024, during the cocktail hour at a private retreat for tech investors and defense leaders, Vice Admiral Frank "Trey" Whitworth found his way to Drew Cukor. Now Project Maven's founding leader and his skeptical successor were standing face-to-face. Three years earlier, Whitworth had been the Pentagon's top military official for intelligence, advising the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and running one of the most sensitive and potentially lethal parts of any military process: targeting.
Patriot missile involved in Bahrain blast likely U.S.-operated, analysis finds
Patriot missile involved in Bahrain blast likely U.S.-operated, analysis finds Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, on March 9. | REUTERS An American-operated Patriot air defense battery likely fired the interceptor missile involved in a pre-dawn explosion that injured dozens of civilians and tore through homes in U.S.-ally Bahrain 10 days into the war on Iran, according to an analysis by academic researchers examined by Reuters. Both Bahrain and Washington have blamed an Iranian drone attack for the March 9 blast, which the Gulf kingdom said injured 32 people including children, some seriously. Commenting on the day of the attack, U.S. Central Command said on X that an Iranian drone struck a residential neighborhood in Bahrain. In response to questions, Bahrain on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that a Patriot missile was involved in the explosion over the Mahazza neighborhood on Sitra island, offshore from the capital Manama and also home to an oil refinery. In a statement, a Bahraini government spokesperson said the missile successfully intercepted an Iranian drone mid-air, saving lives. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
Iran war: What is happening on day 19 of US-Israel attacks?
Iran war: What is happening on day 19 of US-Israel attacks? Iran has pledged "revenge" after Israeli strikes killed security chief Ali Larijani and commander of Basij paramilitary forces Gholamreza Soleimani, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran's political system remains strong as the war entered its 19th day . Iran launched more attacks on Israel, causing extensive property damage, after an earlier strike killed two people in Ramat Gan. Political tensions are also rising in the United States, as senior counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigned, saying "we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby". Meanwhile, President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies and partners for failing to provide stronger military support in efforts to end Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran fires missiles, drones across Gulf, region remains in war crosshairs
Iran has fired missiles and drones at several Gulf Arab nations, which have sought to intercept them, in a now-daily fallout from the United States-Israel war launched on Iran nearly three weeks ago that has engulfed the Middle East with deaths, destruction, assassinations, and an energy crisis spreading far beyond the region. Early Tuesday, Qatar's Ministry of Defence said its armed forces intercepted a missile attack against the country. The statement came hours after the Kuwaiti army said it was intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have also reported intercepting missiles and drones in recent hours. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense reported the interception and destruction of a drone in the Eastern Region.
Watch: Iranians show daily life under air strikes and regime crackdown
The BBC has obtained footage and interviews from the Iranian capital Tehran which evoke a city of strained nerves, of constant waiting for the next air strike and relentless fear of the state security apparatus. The identities of the people in this report have been protected. While independent journalists still try to gather testimony that offers a credible alternative view, they run the risk of arrest, torture and possibly worse. Displaced Palestinians were told to secure their tents to prevent them being blown away as a storm swept through the enclave. Video filmed by a witness and verified by the BBC shows a drone crashing close to the airport.