U.S. Forces Continue Strikes Against Iran
1:11 PM: U.S. military operations are ongoing, with strikes against Iran taking place for the sixth consecutive night, according to Central Command (CENTCOM).
“At 2 p.m. ET, U.S. forces initiated a new round of strikes against Iran to further weaken its military capabilities,” CENTCOM reported.
Earlier reports indicated that Iran had retaliated with aerial attacks on Gulf nations following U.S. strikes the previous night.
10:56 AM: CENTCOM confirmed that another series of attacks had been executed against Iranian targets, with Iran responding by launching aerial strikes against its neighbors.
The latest U.S. operations concluded at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, focusing on military sites, including locations in Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. forces targeted Iranian command centers, air defense systems, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to diminish Iran’s threat to commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM stated in a Wednesday evening update.
Earlier in the day, American forces executed a 90-minute series of strikes on Greater Tunb Island, showing an apparent decrease in the time intervals between operations.
Following the most recent attacks, Gulf nations reported incursions into their airspace by Iranian forces. The Bahrain Defense Force indicated that its air defenses intercepted several Iranian aerial threats.
“The General Command stresses that the intentional use of missiles and drones against civilians is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” the BDF stated in a translated announcement from Thursday.
Kuwait also reported Iranian drone attacks that morning, with its military confirming engagement by air defense systems.
“The Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile drone activity, following Iranian aggression,” the General Staff of the Army of Kuwait mentioned.
CENTCOM noted on Monday the presence of 50,000 U.S. troops across the Middle East. The Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, while significant military installations are located in Kuwait.
On Wednesday, CENTCOM also revealed that it had neutralized an empty oil tanker trying to breach the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
“The commercial vessel ignored repeated warnings while attempting to circumvent the U.S. blockade,” CENTCOM declared.
“A U.S. aircraft targeted the vessel with hellfire missiles, effectively stopping its progress towards Iran,” it clarified.
The U.S. blockade was reinstated at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, with CENTCOM stating forces had redirected two commercial ships along with disabling the tanker.
