Narrative War: How the Accounts of the Kuwait Strike Were Distributed

The recent confrontation between Washington and Tehran in Kuwait has entered a phase of “narrative warfare,” where each side sought to highlight the location that best serves its strategic and political interests, following the targeting of two separate sites 50 kilometers apart.

The Kuwaiti and Western Narrative: Focusing on “Kuwait International Airport”

Framed event: Kuwait and the United States focused on circulating images of destruction in Terminal 1 of the civilian airport.

Content: They emphasized the death of one civilian and approximately 60 injuries, as well as the suspension of air traffic.

Objective: To mobilize broad international condemnation against Tehran, and to portray the attack as an unprovoked act violating national sovereignty and threatening civilian aviation.

The Iranian Narrative: Focusing on “Ali Al-Salem Air Base”

Framed event: Satellite imagery reportedly showed complete destruction of a drone hangar belonging to U.S. forces inside the base.

Content: Facilities hosting U.S. forces in the Gulf were presented as part of an operational environment targeting Iran’s security interests.

Objective: To grant military legitimacy to the strike as a deterrent action against alleged U.S. intelligence activities, and to send a pressure message to neighboring states to neutralize their territories.

Conclusion

Field developments and satellite imagery suggest that the operation was a dual and carefully calibrated strike targeting two separate locations. While damage affected Terminal 1 of Kuwait’s civilian airport, causing human and material losses, additional missiles and drones reportedly succeeded in striking the logistical and intelligence core of the U.S. military presence by destroying a drone hangar inside “Ali Al-Salem” Air Base. This places the entire event within a broader strategic military confrontation that extends beyond the boundaries of the publicly declared civilian targets.