El Gobierno de Kuwait informó que casi 70 militares de su país resultaron heridos por los ataques del régimen de Irán contra diversas ubicaciones en países de Medio Oriente que albergan bases e instalaciones de Estados Unidos, tras el inicio de la ofensiva estadounidense-israelí el 28 de febrero.

El portavoz del Ministerio de Defensa, Saud Abdulaziz al Atuan, señaló en la primera rueda de prensa informativa del Centro de Comunicación del Gobierno que “se han registrado 67 heridos entre el personal del Ejército”, según recogió la agencia estatal kuwaití KUNA. Al Atuan precisó que todos los afectados recibieron atención médica y se encuentran en condición de salud estable, aunque dos permanecen bajo observación médica.

Kuwait, junto a Arabia Saudí, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Qatar y Bahréin, fue blanco en los últimos días de repetidos bombardeos iraníes, enfocados principalmente en bases militares con presencia de tropas estadounidenses y otras instalaciones vinculadas a fuerzas norteamericanas.

En este contexto, la defensa aérea kuwaití detectó y neutralizó hasta 212 misiles balísticos y 394 drones, según detalló el portavoz ministerial. Mientras tanto, el Ejército nacional, que opera en el máximo nivel de preparación y mantiene actividad las 24 horas, continúa respondiendo a nuevos bombardeos, según advirtió la institución militar en la madrugada del viernes a través de sus redes sociales.

El ministro de Exteriores de Kuwait, Yaber al Ahmed al Sabá, afirmó que la seguridad de los países miembros del Consejo de Cooperación para los Estados Árabes del Golfo constituye un asunto indivisible y advirtió que cualquier infracción a la soberanía de uno de sus Estados implica una vulneración directa de la seguridad colectiva regional.

La cadena iraní IRIB reportó que la Armada de Irán reconoció haber atacado una base de las Fuerzas Armadas de Estados Unidos en territorio kuwaití días atrás. Según un comunicado citado por el medio, “las unidades de drones de la Armada atacaron la base”, en referencia a las instalaciones estadounidenses.

En respuesta, el Ministerio de Exteriores de Kuwait calificó el uso de drones sobre instalaciones estadounidenses en el país como “una flagrante violación de la soberanía del Estado de Kuwait”.

El ministro Al Sabá señaló que esta acción representa también un incumplimiento del Derecho Internacional y de la Carta de Naciones Unidas, además de vulnerar la soberanía regional al afectar a los Estados miembros del Consejo de Cooperación para los Estados Árabes del Golfo.

Kuwait reafirmó su derecho a proteger su integridad y la de su población bajo el amparo del Artículo 51 de la Carta de Naciones Unidas, que reconoce la legítima defensa ante actos de agresión. El gobierno indicó su disposición a emplear “todas las medidas necesarias” para salvaguardar tanto su soberanía como la seguridad de los ciudadanos y residentes en su territorio, en un contexto de amenazas crecientes en la región.

El Ministerio de Exteriores kuwaití advirtió sobre el impacto potencial de los ataques en la estabilidad energética internacional, al subrayar la importancia de la seguridad del tráfico marítimo y el funcionamiento de los puertos en el Golfo para el suministro global de energía. “La amenaza iraní a la seguridad de navegación y movimiento de buques se extiende a la seguridad energética mundial, la estabilidad económica internacional y la sostenibilidad de las cadenas de suministro”, afirmó el comunicado divulgado por la diplomacia kuwaití.

El ministro Al Sabá remarcó que la postura de Kuwait es coordinar acciones diplomáticas junto al resto de los países del Consejo de Cooperación para los Estados Árabes del Golfo con el fin de contener cualquier riesgo a la seguridad colectiva. Por último, señaló que cualquier acto hostil contra uno de los Estados miembros pone en peligro a todo el bloque y puede derivar en una ampliación del conflicto en una región clave para la economía y la seguridad globales.

(Con información de Europa Press)

Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.

FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a «vital» hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.

As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.

Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available. 

The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.

LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.

MIDDLE EAST CRUISE NIGHTMARE DEEPENS AS IRAN AIRSTRIKES LEAVE PASSENGERS STRANDED

Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.

After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.

A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.

AMERICAN STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST ESCAPES IN RACE TO REACH CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND IN CALIFORNIA

FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)

«We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,» the spokesperson said. «The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option.»

Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate. 

The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.

AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE

This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)

The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests. 

Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

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The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden himself is unlikely to face criminal exposure.

A senior DOJ official told Fox News that the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding that investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.

The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is «established law.»

The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law — specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.

«These types of cases are tough, executive privilege issues come into play,» the official said.

What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.

«It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,» the senior DOJ official said.

BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING

The use of the autopen by former President Joe Biden remains under investigation. (AP Photo)

The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved President Donald Trump, the current sitting president, but would also apply to Biden.

«We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,» the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. «At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.»

Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.

DOJ SIGNALS IT’S STILL DIGGING INTO BIDEN AUTOPEN USE DESPITE REPORTS PROBE FIZZLED

President Donald Trump has pushed for consequences tied to former President Joe Biden’s alleged use of the autopen. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Trump has pushed for consequences tied to the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.

Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year that he personally directed the decisions in question.

«Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,» Biden said. «I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.»

The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of «contemporaneous documentation» confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.

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The committee asked the DOJ to investigate «all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.»

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

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