Analysts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies concluded that the cause of the explosion that occurred in Bahrain on March 9 may have been an interceptor missile from the US Patriot system.
The researchers, who reviewed photos and videos, as well as commercial satellite images, concluded with “moderate to high” confidence that the missile was launched from a US Patriot battery located about seven kilometers southwest of the Al-Mahza area.
Reuters, which reviewed the study, presented its findings to two target analysis experts and one Patriot missile researcher, who saw no reason to dispute them.
Researchers were unable to determine with certainty the cause of the Patriot missile’s explosion. However, they believe that, based on the available data, it appears that the explosion occurred in the air. Researchers suggested that the missile was targeting a low-flying drone, and intercepting it could lead to its explosion or to the joint detonation of the missile and the drone in the air. The researchers point out that if this actually happened, this interception attempt was irresponsible because it endangered the lives of people and their homes in a residential area.
In response to questions from Reuters, the Bahraini authorities admitted for the first time the involvement of a Patriot missile in the explosion that occurred over the Al-Mahza area on Sitra Island near the capital, Manama. A Bahraini government spokesman said in a statement that the missile successfully intercepted an Iranian drone in the air, saving lives.
He said that the injuries and destruction were not a direct result of the Patriot interceptor missile or the Iranian drone colliding with the ground. The government refused to determine whether Bahrain launched the missile or the United States itself.
The explosion on March 9 injured more than 30 civilians, including children, and destroyed residential buildings. On the day of the attack, US Central Command said an Iranian drone struck a residential area. Neither Bahrain nor the United States provided any evidence of the involvement of an Iranian drone in the shaking incident.