Bahrain cracks down on people allegedly celebrating Iran strikes on kingdom

Bahraini authorities have launched a campaign of arrests targeting people who allegedly expressed joy and celebration over Iranian missiles and drones that struck sites in the kingdom, including facilities linked to the US Fifth Fleet.

The arrests followed the circulation of videos on social media, which appear to show groups of individuals celebrating the Iranian operations.

Long seen as havens of peace and stability in the region, the Gulf Arab states have come under attack by Iran after a US-Israel offensive started on Saturday, which has killed hundreds of Iranians, including dozens of senior officials, such as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran claims it is targeting US interests in the Gulf, but it has also hit civilian infrastructure in Gulf states, including airports and hotels.

Bahrain’s interior ministry, through its Cyber Crime Directorate, confirmed that it had detained a group of people who "expressed in a circulated video their support for the Iranian shelling targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain".

It added that legal action would be taken against them on charges related to endorsing hostile acts against the state and endangering national security.

Authorities described such behaviour as "treason", due to the kingdom facing external aggression, saying they would not tolerate attempts to "exploit the situation" or promote hostile agendas.

The campaign coincided with a strongly worded official condemnation of the Iranian attacks, which Manama described as “treacherous” and a “blatant violation of sovereignty,” while affirming Bahrain’s right to respond appropriately in coordination with its allies.

Bahrain is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy but has a near-Shia majority, many of whom are sympathetic towards Iran.

The kingdom violently cracked down on Shia-led, anti-government protests with the help of neighbouring Saudi Arabia in 2011. It has since outlawed opposition parties and arrested dozens of activists, sparking international criticism.

Bahrain has claimed Iran trained and backed the demonstrators in order to topple the Manama government – an accusation Tehran denies.

The kingdom rejects allegations of human rights violations and denies discriminating against its Shia citizens.