Flag of Kuwait [Photo courtesy of EPA/Yonhap News]

Kuwaiti forces arrested four members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who infiltrated by sea, the Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA reported on the 12th (local time).

According to the report, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense announced, "The four individuals arrested on the 1st for violating the border confessed to belonging to Iran's IRGC," adding, "Kuwaiti forces engaged in a firefight with the group, resulting in one soldier being injured and two of the infiltrators escaping."

The Ministry of Interior explained that they were attempting a mission to infiltrate Bubiyan Island by fishing boat to carry out hostile acts targeting Kuwait.

Bubiyan Island is located north of Kuwait, near the borders with Iraq and Iran. A Mubarak Al-Kabeer port is under construction on the island as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. This port was also attacked by Iran in March.

Meanwhile, the Bahraini Public Prosecution announced on the same day that over 20 individuals were sentenced to prison terms, including three life sentences, for espionage activities after being recruited by the IRGC.

Bahrain is a religiously unstable country, with the royal family being Sunni Muslims while the majority of the population is Shia. Consequently, the general public is generally favorable towards Iran, and the opposition parties critical of the Bahraini government tend to be Shia-oriented.

The Bahraini government views the IRGC's overseas operations unit as recruiting Bahraini Shia to build an espionage network, gather intelligence, and foment social unrest, thus responding sensitively to Iran's "intervention."