US-Operated Patriot Missile Likely Involved In March 9 Bahrain Blast: Report

Last Updated:March 22, 2026, 18:43 IST

Reuters reports a US Patriot missile likely caused the Bahrain Mahazza explosion during the Iran war, injuring 32 civilians, days after US and Bahrain blamed an Iranian drone.

A US-operated Patriot air defence battery had likely fired the interceptor missile that was involved in an explosion injuring dozens of civilians in Bahrain 10 days into the war on Iran, according to report by Reuters.

Initially, the US and Bahrain had blamed attack, on March 9, on Iran. Bahrain had said 32 people, including children, were injured in the attack. In a post on X, the US Central Command said an Iranian drone struck a residential neighbourhood in Bahrain.

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Reuters quoted Bahrain saying on Saturday acknowledging for the first time that a Patriot missile was involved in the explosion over the Mahazza neighborhood on Sitra island, offshore from the capital Manama and also home to an oil refinery.

However, both did not provide any evidence that an Iranian drone was involved in the Mahazza incident.

Both Bahrain and the US operate US Patriot air defense batteries in the kingdom, a close ally of the Washington located on the Persian Gulf that hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet along with the regional US naval command. Produced by Raytheon, the Patriot is the US Army’s primary high-to-medium range aircraft-and-missile interceptor system and forms the backbone of US and allied air defenses.

In the statement, a Bahraini government spokesperson said the missile successfully intercepted an Iranian drone mid-air, saving lives.

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“The damage and injuries sustained were not a result of a direct impact to the ground of either the Patriot interceptor or the Iranian drone," the spokesperson said.

The government, however, did not say whether the missile that detonated on March 9, was fired by its own forces or by the United States.

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Reuters quoted a senior US official saying that Washington was “crushing" Iran’s ability to shoot or produce drones and missiles. “We will continue to address these threats to our country and our allies," the official said, adding that the US military “never targets civilians".

Reuters quoted research associates Sam Lair and Michael Duitsman and Professor Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey stating that the suspect missile was likely launched from a US Patriot battery located about 7 km to the southwest of the Mahazza neighborhood.

The media outlet reported that the analysis was based on a video that was shot from an apartment building that went viral on social media. In the video, the alleged Patriot was seen at a low altitude on a northeastern trajectory which then angled downward and went out of sight. About 1.3 seconds later, a flash of light could be seen.

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