US Patriot missile linked to civilian injuries in Bahrain – Reuters

The mid-air interception of an Iranian drone led to 32 people being wounded early in the conflict

A US-fired Patriot missile was connected to the injury of dozens of civilians in Bahrain on March 9, Reuters reported on Sunday. Washington and Manama initially attributed the casualties to an Iranian drone strike.

According to the agency, analysis by researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies found that the interceptor was launched from a battery located approximately four miles (7 km) southwest of the Mahazza neighborhood on Sitra island. Bahraini authorities previously said 32 people, including children, were wounded.

In response to requests for comment, the Bahraini government acknowledged that the injuries “were not a result of a direct impact to the ground of either the Patriot interceptor or the Iranian drone,” stating that the mid-air interception helped prevent greater casualties.

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The US and Israel launched a bombing campaign aimed at regime change in Iran in late February. They say they are targeting Tehran’s military assets and elements of its uranium enrichment program to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

On the first day of the airstrikes, over 160 civilians, predominantly young girls, were killed at an elementary school in Minab. US officials rejected responsibility for the deaths, with President Donald Trump claiming that Tehran could have acquired a US-produced Tomahawk cruise missile, which was filmed hitting the location and fragments of which were discovered at the scene.

Over a decade ago, the building was part of a military facility. There are strong suspicions that it was added to the list of targets erroneously, possibly by an AI algorithm that used obsolete data.

Iran’s strategy in the conflict has been to ramp up economic damage to US allies, including Arab states hosting American military bases and foreign nations relying on supplies of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.

READ MORE: Iran school strike responsibility not ‘important issue’ – ex-CENTCOM commander (VIDEO)

Over the weekend, Trump threatened to strike Iranian power plants unless Tehran allows free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials said they would retaliate in kind.