The figure to hold onto is 90 percent. That is roughly the share of Kuwait's drinking water that comes from desalination - large coastal plants that turn Gulf seawater into what comes out of the tap [2]. A country that gets nearly all its water that way has very little to fall back on if the plants stop, which is what makes the past four days in Kuwait a water story as much as a war story.
Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy says its power and desalination plants have been struck for a fourth consecutive day [1]. On Monday evening, the Al Zour power station was hit by a drone; fires were brought under control, and generating units were taken offline as a protective measure [1]. Al Jazeera reported that the desalination facility and power plants 'caught on fire and suffered serious damage' [2]. The ministry has asked residents to conserve water [1].
The strikes are part of Iran's retaliation against Gulf states as the United States runs a tenth consecutive night of attacks on Iran [2]. The IRGC says the targets in Kuwait were American military assets - HIMARS launchers, radars, an MQ-9 drone hangar - and claims radar strikes in Bahrain [2]. Those are the IRGC's own characterizations, offered without independent confirmation [2].
Set the claim beside the ministry's account and the gap is the story: one side describes a precise campaign against military hardware, the other describes burning water and power plants and a call to ration [1][2]. The intended target is contested. The reported effect - on the plants that make a country's drinking water, four days running - is not [1].
