Statement Issued by the Bahrain Operations Room (1)
The Reality of What Happened on the Island of Sitra at Dawn on Monday, March 9, 2026
The Monitoring Department of the Bahrain Operations Room publishes the outcome of the field and intelligence information it has gathered regarding what occurred in the capital of the revolution, Sitra – Mahazza area – after examining the available data, which is as follows:
1. At 12:20 a.m., a single explosion was heard in the Mahazza area before injuries among civilians were reported, as their homes were damaged. Thanks be to God, most of them have left the hospitals after receiving the necessary medical treatment.
2. The Ministry of Interior of the Khalifi entity quickly issued an “official” statement claiming that the explosion resulted from a “treacherous aggression” by an Iranian drone targeting citizens’ homes, which led to what it described as “numerous and serious” injuries.
3. Bahrain’s Ministry of Health issued a similar statement indicating that there were 32 injuries, 4 of them critical, with some cases requiring surgical intervention for a number of children.
4. Eyewitnesses from residents in the area surrounding the site of the explosion reported that no sound of drones was heard in the skies before or during the explosion.
5. Local pro-government media outlets circulated a video clip and then quickly deleted it. The clip showed the moment interceptor missiles were launched from an area near Mahazza and failed to intercept a target, as one of the interceptor missiles was seen deviating from its path and falling directly onto homes in the aforementioned residential area.
6. Residents rushed to assist the injured after the delayed arrival of civil defense teams.
7. Media agency networks, documented human rights activists, and military experts confirmed that the interceptor missiles were the cause of the incident, according to the visual evidence and the resulting damage.
8. The Khalifi regime had previously launched – and continues to carry out – a fierce campaign of arrests against anyone who filmed the damage or the missile interception attempts, exposing the failure of the air defense system, which confirms its fear of the truth being revealed through documentation of the events.
The Bahrain Operations Room notes the following:
1. The scene of the interceptor missile fully corresponds with the nature of the incident: a surface-to-air missile (air defense system) missing its aerial target and falling into a populated area.
2. It is technically known that drones (especially Iranian “Shahed” models and others) produce a distinctive and audible noise that can be heard from long distances. The absence of such sound categorically denies the hypothesis of a drone attack.
3. This incident is not the first of its kind. Various areas in the country (Manama, Ma’ameer, and Al-Hidd) have previously witnessed similar incidents caused by failed interception operations, where interceptor missiles fell on civilian areas after being launched to confront drones or missiles directed toward military bases. This recurring pattern reflects either a technical malfunction in the defense systems used or poor training and operational handling.
4. There is a clear contradiction in the narrative of the Ministry of Interior, which claimed that the attack involved Iranian drones targeting the residential Mahazza area, which does not contain any strategic military targets among the population that would justify an aerial drone strike. In contrast, surrounding areas contain military sites, collaborating facilities, and air defense systems, which are usually the real targets of any attack. The fall of the interceptor missile in Sitra indicates an attempt to intercept a real target heading toward those bases or facilities cooperating with the American military presence, but the interception failed and the missile fell on residential homes.
Based on the aforementioned data, we affirm:
1. What happened in Sitra / Mahazza was not an attack by Iranian drones.
2. The explosion was caused by an interceptor missile launched by the Khalifi regime’s air defenses from one of the batteries deployed in the area, which failed to intercept its target and fell on residential homes.
3. The narrative of the Ministry of Interior aims to cover up the failure of the defense system and redirect public opinion toward an imaginary external threat instead of admitting a military mistake that caused injuries among civilians.
4. The injuries that occurred confirm that the source was an interceptor missile, not a warhead from a drone.
We call for the formation of an independent investigation committee to uncover the circumstances of the incident. We hold the Khalifi regime fully responsible for the safety of civilians and demand the immediate protection of the residents of the area, as well as preventing the random use of air defense systems over residential areas in a way that threatens their lives.
We also announce our readiness in the Bahrain Operations Room to receive visual information and public reports in appreciation of the efforts aimed at expelling the American base from our country.
Bahrain Operations Room
March 9, 2026
