The US military carried out a series of targeted strikes on Iranian territory overnight on Thursday. These military operations were conducted as a direct response to attempts by Iranian forces to hit US troops in the Middle East with ballistic projectiles the previous day. The strikes were aimed at key military and strategic facilities within the Iranian state.
According to information from the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the targets of the strikes included command centres, ballistic missile production facilities, and drone equipment. Coastal surveillance facilities, defence systems, and naval assets were also hit in the destructive actions. CENTCOM published these details on the social media platform X early on Thursday, according to local time in Iran.
The purpose of these military actions was to further reduce the threat posed by Iran and its proxies to US forces, commercial shipping, and neighbouring Gulf states. Iranian media confirmed the presence of conflict by reporting explosions in the south of the country. The Fars News Agency, linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), stated that the strikes hit Kish Island in the Strait of Hormuz and an area in Bushehr province.
The previous escalation was preceded by an Iranian attack on US forces early on Wednesday. This was the first recorded attack by Tehran since Washington temporarily halted its strikes on Iranian targets over the weekend. Iranian state television, citing an IRGC statement, said the missiles targeted a US military base in Jordan. The Jordanian armed forces confirmed they intercepted five ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
The US Central Command announced that the military successfully intercepted all Iranian projectiles. The strikes in Iran represent a response to more than 30 IRGC drone attacks over the past 72 hours. In addition to strikes on Iranian soil, US forces and Saudi Arabia conducted joint operations in Iraq against Iran-backed terrorist groups.
