Bahrain’s defence forces have weathered more than 1,000 Iranian missile and drone attacks, the interior minister told a rare joint sitting of the kingdom’s elected and appointed chambers, while officials warned they could not loosen their vigilance so long as the conflict raged on.
General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa unveiled the figure on Monday to members of parliament and senior civil servants gathered to evaluate how the state had safeguarded its citizens, maintained vital services and restored the damage wrought by the attacks.
Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam and Shura Council Chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh chaired the meeting, with the minister representing the executive.
Shaikh Rashid said the kingdom’s capacity to absorb the assaults was testament to a quarter of a century of institutional planning, rather than a hastily thought out wartime improvisation.
Agencies, he added, acted collectively and in advance, guided by constant monitoring of local and regional developments. Military, security and civilian bodies relied on established chains of command, drawing on the Supreme Defence Council, the Cabinet, a co-ordination committee, the Civil Defence Council and the National Civil Emergency Management Committee.
Officials described a layered civil-protection effort. Emergency operations rooms and evacuation plans were put into action, and authorities readied 35 shelters with room for upwards of 40,000 people.
Ambulance and medical teams were moved to a higher state of alert, while cyber-response capabilities were reinforced. Supply chains were kept under watch and strategic reserves maintained.
The minister credited electronic alert systems with warning the public quickly, alongside security communications, civil defence units and emergency medical crews.
Shaikh Rashid cautioned that the prolonged nature of the confrontation rules out any scaling back of preparedness, and said further measures and tighter co-ordination would be needed.
His remarks underline the pressure on Gulf states hosting military infrastructure and energy assets, which have found themselves within range of Iranian fire since the regional war began earlier this year.
Bahrain, a small island state that hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters, has repeatedly framed its response as a matter of national resilience.
