Strikes follow what U.S. officials described as an attempted Iranian ballistic missile attack against American forces in the Middle East.
U.S. forces struck Iran for two hours starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, marking a major escalation in tensions following what U.S. officials described as an attempted Iranian ballistic missile attack against American forces in the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command announced the latest strikes on social media that evening, calling them a “powerful response.” The “heavy waves of strikes” concluded at 10 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, according to a CENTCOM news release from its Tampa, Fla., headquarters.
U.S. forces “struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities,” the release states.
The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to U.S. forces, commercial shipping and neighboring Gulf countries, according to the release.
The military action comes after Iran reportedly launched ballistic missiles targeting U.S. troops based in Jordan. CENTCOM said those weapons were fired in an attempted surprise attack, but all were intercepted before reaching their targets.
Jordanian state media, citing an armed forces spokesperson, said the country’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed five missiles early Wednesday.
President Donald Trump had vowed a forceful response in remarks to Fox News that day, saying the United States would strike Iran but declined to specify the timing or targets.
“We are going to beat the f---ing sh-- out of them,” he told the news outlet.
- Security