Kuwait has busted a major terrorist network and arrested 16 people. In the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, it was made clear that the country’s national security is a ‘red line’ and there will be no compromise on it. This strict action has come at a time when tension is increasing in the Gulf countries and Kuwait’s airspace is also closed from 28 February 2026.
What happened in Kuwait and what was found?
Kuwait’s security forces have captured a 16-member terrorist cell linked to Hezbollah. These include 14 Kuwaiti citizens and 2 Lebanese. The officials have recovered a huge quantity of arms, ammunition, drones, encrypted communication devices, narcotics and a lot of cash from them.
Along with this, in the last 24 hours, Kuwait National Guard and Ministry of Interior (MOI) have destroyed 2 ballistic missiles and 13 drones in the air. Two people suffered minor injuries from the debris of these weapons destroyed in the air. The Home Ministry has warned the general public not to go near any suspicious debris and immediately call 112 for information.
Kuwait’s new strict law and punishment
The Kuwait government has implemented a new law (Decree Law No. 47 of 2026) to deal with terrorism. Under this law, very strict action will be taken against those who support terrorism.
Sentence to death: If someone dies or causes huge damage in terrorist activities, the culprits will be given death sentence or life imprisonment.
No discount: The statute of limitations in terrorism related cases has been completely removed.
Heavy penalty: Heavy fines of up to 500,000 KD can be imposed on companies or institutions that support terrorism.
What was the impact on flights and border travel?
The closure of airspace has had a direct impact on people and expatriates traveling to and from Kuwait. Due to change in routes of flights, the journey is taking 2 to 4 hours more and the ticket price of regional flights has reached $3,450.
For those going to Saudi Arabia by road, the traffic at Nuwaiseeb-Khafji border has increased significantly. For expatriates traveling this route, the Saudi Tourist eVisa fee is 395 SAR and a transit visa is available at the land border for approximately $10.50. Apart from this, the fee for general visit visa of Kuwait has been fixed between 10 KD and the fee for residence permit has been fixed between 20 KD to 100 KD.
