How targeting of desalination plants could disrupt water supply in the Gulf
Bahrain has said an Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a water desalination plant in the country, marking the first time a Gulf nation has reported targeting any such facility during the eight days of the war between Iran and the US and Israel. The attack on Sunday comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran was attacked by the United States. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “Water supply in 30 villages has been impacted. Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The US set this precedent, not Iran,” he said on X on Saturday. While Tehran has not yet commented on the Bahrain attack, it has raised questions about the vulnerability of the Gulf countries, which depend on desalination plants for the majority of their water supply. How important are water desalination plants to the Gulf region? Can water security in the Gulf be guaranteed amid a widening of military targets to include energy and other civilian sites? What are desalination plants? A desalination plant primarily converts seawater into water suitable for drinking purposes as well as for irrigation and industrial use. The process of desalination involves removing salt, algae and other pollutants from seawater using a thermal process or membrane-based technologies. According to the US Department of Energy, desalination systems “heat water so that it evaporates into steam, leaving behind impurities, and then condenses back into a liquid for human use”. Advertisement Meanwhile, membrane-based desalination involves “a class of technologies in which saline water passes through a semipermeable material that allows water through but holds back dissolved solids like salts”. Reverse osmosis is the most popular membrane technology. Most countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) use reverse osmosis since it is an energy-efficient technique. Why are desalination plants important to the Gulf? Water is scarce in the Gulf region due to the arid climate and irregular rainfall. Countries in the Gulf also have very limited natural freshwater resources. Groundwater, together with desalinated water, accounts for about 90 percent of the region’s main water resources, according to a 2020 report by the Gulf Research Center. But in recent years, as groundwater has also begun to deteriorate as a result of climate change, Gulf countries have begun relying heavily on energy-intensive seawater desalination to meet their water needs. More than 400 desalination plants are located on the Arabian Gulf shores stretching from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kuwait, providing water to one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. According to a 2023 research paper published by the Arab Center Washington DC, GCC member states account for about 60 percent of global water desalination capacity, producing almost 40 percent of the total desalinated water in the world. About 42 percent of the UAE’s drinking water comes from desalination plants, while that figure is 90 percent in Kuwait, 86 percent in Oman, and 70 percent in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia also produces more desalinated water than any other country. Desalination has also played a crucial role in enabling economic development in the region, according to Naser Alsayed, an environmental researcher specialising in the Gulf states. He noted that after the discovery of oil in the late 1930s, Gulf states had very limited natural freshwater resources and could not meet the demands created by population growth and expanding economic activity. “Desalination plants were therefore introduced,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the importance of desalinated water in supporting the Gulf’s development is often overlooked. “As a result, targeting or disrupting desalination facilities would place much of the region’s economic stability and growth at significant risk,” he said. “Secondly, desalination is the main source of freshwater for most GCC states, especially smaller and highly water-scarce countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Because this water is primarily used for human consumption, desalination carries a strong humanitarian dimension and is essential for sustaining daily life in the region, making any disruption to these facilities particularly significant for the population,” he added. Advertisement Iran also uses desalination plants, which have been installed in coastal areas such as Qeshm Island in the Gulf. But Iran also has many rivers and dams and is not as heavily reliant on desalination plants as other countries in the Gulf region. If a desalination plant is attacked, what is the impact? The Gulf’s heavy reliance on desalination plants has made it vulnerable during times of conflict. During the 1990-1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces intentionally destroyed most of Kuwait’s desalination capacity, and the damage to its water supply was severe. Raha Hakimdavar, a hydrologist, told Al Jazeera that in the long-term, attacking these plants can also impact domestic food production, which mostly uses groundwater. “However, the pressures from competing needs can divert this water away from domestic production. This can be especially challenging because the region is also highly food import dependent and is facing potential food security challenges due to the compromising of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Hakimdavar, who is a Senior Advisor to the Deans at Georgetown University in Qatar and the Earth Commons. A 2010 CIA report (PDF) also warned that while “national dependence on desalinated water varies substantially among Persian Gulf countries, disruption of desalination facilities in most of the Arab countries could have more consequences than the loss of any industry or commodity.” According to Alsayed, the impact of a plant being attacked in the region, however, depends on the local scenario. “For Saudi Arabia, which is the least dependent on desalination and has significant geographic space, facilities on the Red Sea provide resilience. The UAE has 45 days of water storage aligned with its 2036 water security strategy, so contingency plans are in place to manage potential disruptions,” he said. “The effects are likely to be felt more acutely in smaller states that are highly dependent on desalination like Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, which have minimal strategic reservoirs,” he noted. “The
‘Gulf countries may question US capability to protect them’
Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gordon Gray explains the short-term and long-term implications of US-Israeli war on Iran. Published On 8 Mar 20268 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Cuba says electricity plant successfully repaired after large blackout
An escalating US pressure campaign, including an oil blockade, has strained the Caribbean country’s ageing energy infrastructure. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Cuban authorities say that repair teams have successfully fixed a large thermoelectric plant that shut down earlier this week, causing blackouts across an island that is straining under United States-imposed restrictions. Felix Estrada Rodriguez, a top engineer at Cuba’s Electric Union, told the state-owned media outlet Canal Caribe that the Antonio Guiteras plant is expected to resume operations by Saturday afternoon. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list He also explained that the pace of repairs was the result of difficult working conditions and safety concerns. “It is a confined space with a high temperature,” Estrada Rodriguez said. A broken boiler had caused the plant to shut down on Wednesday, prompting power outages that left millions of people without power in the country’s western areas. Widespread outages have increased in recent months as the US takes measures to further isolate Cuba and push the country’s energy system to its breaking point. Following the abduction and imprisonment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump moved to cut the flow of oil and money between Cuba and the South American nation. Then, on January 29, he issued an executive order threatening economic action against any country that supplied Cuba with oil. The island’s ageing energy grid continues to rely largely on fossil fuels, though it has taken steps to increase its supply of alternative power sources. China, for instance, has been helping Cuba develop its solar energy supplies, with thousands of panels being exported to the island. Advertisement Still, the US oil blockade against Cuba has heightened an economic and humanitarian crisis on the island, which has also struggled under a decades-long US trade embargo. The pressure campaign has increased since US President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. Trump has talked openly about toppling the Cuban government and has tightened economic restrictions in an effort to degrade conditions on the island. Trump said earlier this week that regime change in Havana was a “matter of time” as he embraces the threat of US military action to reshape Latin America. On Saturday, Trump reiterated his threats towards Cuba at a summit of right-wing Latin American leaders. He suggested the island’s communist government was “in its last moments”. “Cuba’s at the end of the line. They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time,” Trump said. In the past, demonstrations have arisen in Cuba in response to chronic blackouts, supply shortages and frustration with Havana’s government, which has a record of repressing dissent. Cuba’s Electric Union did not offer details about how many people remained without power on Saturday, but it said about 1,000 megawatts of power was available. That is enough to meet less than half of Cuba’s current demand. The government has announced a series of austerity measures meant to conserve energy, and protests broke out following the most recent blackout. Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Satellite images reveal damage to several Iranian military bases
NewsFeed Satellite imagery reveals extensive damage at several Iranian military sites following a wave of airstrikes by the United States and Israel. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Doctors try to save girl as father was killed in Gaza Israeli attack
NewsFeed Doctors in a hospital in Gaza try to save a girl who sustained severe injuries in an Israeli attack that hit her and killed her father. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Massive explosions, fires from US-Israeli strikes on Tehran
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Massive explosions and fires were seen across Tehran as US-Israeli strikes pummelled targets in the Iranian capital.
Anti-aircraft fire seen in eastern Lebanon amid Israeli incursion
NewsFeed Apparent anti-aircraft fire was seen in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon amid reports of an attempted landing by Israeli forces. Clashes have been reported between Israeli commandos and Hezbollah fighters in the town of Nabi Chit. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Why Yemen’s Houthis are staying out of Israel-US fight with Iran – for now
Sanaa, Yemen – The Israel-US attacks on Iran have plunged the wider Middle East region into turmoil. From Tehran, tensions have spread, affecting multiple Arab cities, including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, and Beirut. Amid this wave of military escalation hitting several countries, Yemen has remained – perhaps surprisingly – quiet. The Houthi movement, the Iran-allied de facto authority in northwestern Yemen, has made repeated attacks on US and Israeli targets since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list But in the week since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, the Houthis have limited their support for Tehran to rhetoric and a mass protest denouncing the strikes. Whether they will continue to remain detached from the conflict remains uncertain. Analysts say the rebel group’s involvement is still possible, and its current restraint appears part of a strategy of patience. “Houthi intervention remains a possibility, and it could take the form of a phased escalation,” Luca Nevola, senior analyst for Yemen and the Gulf at the ACLED conflict monitor, told Al Jazeera. “At the current stage, the main Houthi priority remains avoiding direct US and Israeli retaliation.” Last August, Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Houthi high-ranking government members, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and chief of staff Mohammed al-Ghumari, in air strikes in Sanaa. The losses were among the heaviest the group has endured during its confrontation with the US and Israel. Advertisement That incident, coupled with other attacks last year, has left the Houthi leadership more careful and wary of risking a heavy aerial campaign on areas under its control. “The group seems to fear Israeli intelligence and the possibility of leadership decapitation,” Nevola said. Despite the losses the Houthi group endured last year, it is not entirely incapacitated, and it could launch assaults on adversaries. Nevola explained, “The Houthis would likely resume attacks if they were directly drawn into the conflict, either through US or Israeli strikes or through a renewed domestic advance by anti-Houthi forces in Yemen.” Houthi chief Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said this week that “Yemen stands clearly with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people.” He emphasised that “hands are on the trigger” regarding military escalation, adding that his group’s engagement in the war could occur at any moment depending on developments. Holding a card in reserve Sadam al-Huraibi, a Yemeni political commentator, said Yemen’s Houthis will enter the war if Iran requests it to. “Tehran does not want to use all its cards at once, and it aims to save the Houthi group for the coming phase,” Huraibi told Al Jazeera. “I believe that the Houthis’ entry into the war is only a matter of time,” he added. “If the Israeli-American attacks on Iran do not stop, the Yemeni group will not stand idly by endlessly. The Houthis are preparing for war in Sanaa and the provinces they control.” The Houthis are still capable of creating chaos in the Red Sea – where they have launched repeated attacks on shipping as part of a campaign they say was in support of Gaza – and can launch drones and missiles towards Israel, said Huraibi. “This move will likely materialise, and this depends on the timing set by the Houthis and Iran.” Nevola agreed with Huraibi, saying, “Now that all axis [of resistance, or pro-Iran regional groups] actors are under direct attack, ensuring long-term operational continuity from Yemen – and preserving the Houthi regime as a safe haven – may have become a strategic priority.” Adel Dashela, a Yemeni researcher and non-resident fellow at Mesa Global Academy, said that the Houthis do not want to officially declare war at the present time in order to portray themselves as an independent faction, not subject to Tehran’s directives. Dashela told Al Jazeera, “In practice, the group is part of the axis of resistance, and the war could reach it. The Houthi leadership is still waiting to see how the situation develops. It does not want to take rash decisions on the involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran.” Possible targets The Houthis are capable of striking multiple targets with missiles and drones. Advertisement “Should the conflict persist, and the Houthis feel threatened by direct attacks, they could expand their target set to include Israeli territory, US warships and military assets in the region, and Israel’s partners in the region, such as the UAE and Somaliland,” said Nevola. The continued barrage of Iranian missiles on Israel and the Gulf states may have compromised interception systems over the past week. Houthi attacks could therefore become more destructive. Nevola explained, “Houthi long-range drone and missile attacks against Gulf states and Israel could prove more effective at a later stage of the conflict, when air defence systems may face resupply constraints. The opening of an additional southern front could place further strain on Israel’s air defence.” From late 2023 to 2025, the Houthis carried out a military campaign of attacks on ships through the Red Sea corridor. The campaign killed at least nine mariners and sank four ships, disrupting shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war. The US-Israel strikes have wiped out many of Iran’s political and military leaders within a few days. The killing of senior figures could weaken the Iranian regime, whose fall remains a priority for US and Israeli leadership. Whether weakened or ousted, the fallout would be “detrimental” to the Houthi group in Yemen, said al-Huraibi. He added, “The group will be militarily affected as the flow of smuggled Iranian weapons to Yemen will shrink or entirely cease. This is a formidable challenge for the group.” In 2022, the United Nations found thousands of weapons seized in the Arabian Sea likely came from a single port in Iran. A report by a UN Security Council panel of experts on Yemen indicated that boats and land transport were used
Thousands of Syrian refugees flee Lebanon after Israeli strikes
NewsFeed Thousands of Syrian refugees are fleeing Israeli strikes across Lebanon and trying to return to Syria. Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto is at the border, where there are growing fears of a humanitarian crisis. Published On 6 Mar 20266 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Israel extending ‘Gaza playbook’ to Lebanon, charity warns
Medical Aid for Palestinians accuses Israel of ‘deliberately terrorising civilian populations’ across Lebanon. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 6 Mar 20266 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Israel is exporting its “Gaza playbook” to Lebanon, a nonprofit group has warned, as the Israeli military continues to attack the country after ordering the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said on Friday that Israel’s bombings and forced displacement orders for all of southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut, “are instilling widespread fear among civilians”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “What we are witnessing in Lebanon is the unmistakable extension of the Israeli military playbook used in Gaza,” said Steve Cutts, CEO of the UK-based charity. That includes “collective punishment, forced displacement, and the deliberate terrorising of civilian populations, including already traumatised Palestinian communities,” Cutts said in a statement. The Israeli military issued a forced displacement order on Wednesday for all of southern Lebanon, prompting tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes and communities under threat of attack. A day later, it issued a similar order for the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as Israel expanded its intensified air and ground offensive in the country. Intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on Monday after the Lebanese group launched rockets towards Israeli territory following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. At least 217 people have been killed and 798 others wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since Monday, according to the latest figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Advertisement Human rights groups have raised the alarm over the Israeli forced displacement orders, stressing that many families have nowhere to go as Lebanon’s shelters are full. “We’ve seen people sleeping on the street, sleeping on the Corniche [in Beirut], sleeping in schools that have been converted into reception centres,” Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reported from the Lebanese capital on Friday. “People want to know how long they’re going to have to do this, [how long they’ll have] to be away from home, and the authorities have not been able to tell them.” The Israeli military has routinely issued similar orders in its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move multiple times throughout Israel’s more than two-year bombardment of the enclave. In September last year, the Israeli army issued a forced displacement order for the entirety of Gaza City, prompting international condemnation. “The order … is cruel, unlawful, and further compounds the genocidal conditions of life that Israel is inflicting on Palestinians,” Human Rights Watch said at the time. Israeli leaders have also compared the country’s escalating offensive in Lebanon this week with its war on Gaza. On Thursday, after the forced evacuation order was issued for the southern suburbs of Beirut, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel planned to make the Dahiyeh area “like Khan Younis”. A city in southern Gaza, Khan Younis – like most of the Strip – has been decimated in Israel’s war. Adblock test (Why?)