08.04.2026 00:11
After a rocket attack launched from the Kuwaiti border targeting civilian settlements, the streets of Basra turned into a battlefield. An angry crowd stormed the Kuwaiti Consulate, bringing down the flag atop the building.
After rockets fired from Kuwait hit civilian residential areas in the strategic port city of Basra in southern Iraq, the public took to the streets. A group of protesters who entered the Kuwaiti Consulate removed the Kuwaiti flag from the top of the building and replaced it with the Iraqi flag.
THE DEATH OF CIVILIANS SPARKED THE FUSE
The events began when rockets, identified as having been fired from Kuwaiti territory, struck a house in the Hor el-Zubair area of Basra. According to local sources, three people from the same family lost their lives in the attack, while five civilians were seriously injured. The intensity of the explosion also caused significant damage to nearby buildings.
FLAG REMOVED, SLOGANS CHANTED
Upon hearing the news of the attack, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Kuwaiti Consulate in Basra, chanting slogans such as "Revenge" and "Sovereignty." Despite the intervention of security forces, the protesters managed to climb onto the roof of the building and tore down the flag representing the Kuwaiti monarchy, throwing it down.
In videos shared on social media, it was seen that the crowd was chanting praises during the removal of the flag and celebrating.
PRESSURE ON THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT IS INCREASING
Following the attack, the Basra Provincial Council convened urgently. The local population is demanding that the central government issue a strong diplomatic note against Kuwait and immediately disclose those responsible for the attack. While military experts continue their investigations into the origin of the rockets and the point from which they were fired, it has not yet been clarified whether the attack was a "provocation" or an "accident."
DIPLOMATIC CRISIS LOOMS
While the Kuwaiti side has not yet made an official statement regarding the incident, it has been learned that the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun communication with its Kuwaiti counterpart. Political observers in the region warn that this incident could lead to the biggest crisis in Iraq-Kuwait relations in recent years, which are already sensitive.