Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon would withdraw four Patriot missile systems from Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain next month.

The move points to a shifting focus from long-standing conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan to tensions with China and Russia, the newspaper reported.

Two Patriot missile systems will be withdrawn from Kuwait, one from Jordan and one from Bahrain, the report said.

The Kuwaiti army chief of staff commented on the announcement, saying that reports of the withdrawal of US anti-aircraft batteries and Patriot missiles from Kuwait and other countries in the region are routine internal procedures.

A spokesman for the Kuwaiti forces said that the defense systems were to protect US forces at the base of Doha, and that this process was coordinated with them, confirming that the Kuwaiti Staff, that the system of Patriot missiles Kuwait provides protection and full coverage of the geographical boundaries of the State of Kuwait.