U.S. Central Command says it struck about 140 Iranian military sites overnight, including missile and drone positions, naval assets, and ammunition depots, bringing the total to over 300 targets hit this week in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
At 07:35 Jerusalem time Sunday morning, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the completion of a third round of strikes against Iranian military targets, hitting approximately 140 sites overnight. The strikes targeted missile launch sites, drone positions, naval assets, ammunition depots, communication networks, and coastal surveillance systems, according to CENTCOM. This brings the total number of targets struck this week to over 300, as the U.S. responds to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The third round was launched earlier at 02:54 Jerusalem time, following an IRGC attack on a container ship, as The Zioneer reported.
The thread of reporting shows rapid developments overnight. At 02:42 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published a series of updates: first, a senior U.S. official confirmed strikes on IRGC targets near the Strait of Hormuz; then the U.S. military reported striking 140 targets in the Strait of Hormuz in response to vessel fire; later, the scope expanded to 140 targets across southern Iran, with Iran retaliating against Gulf states and Jordan. By 02:42, the military confirmed over 300 targets hit in three days, and a map listed 15 confirmed impact locations. A subsequent update at 02:42 clarified the tally as 'around 140' targets. The campaign's conclusion was confirmed in a later statement. The Zioneer also published video footage of the strikes at 06:42 Jerusalem, and an article summarizing the third round at 06:43.
The current campaign is part of a broader U.S. effort to deter Iranian threats to maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz. As The Zioneer reported on July 7 and 8, CENTCOM previously completed rounds of strikes hitting over 80 targets and 60 IRGC boats, and later launched 'powerful' strikes in retaliation for tanker attacks. Background articles from June 28 also noted that overnight strikes hit newly-built Iranian targets, including surveillance and drone storage. The Zioneer has documented the escalating maritime tensions since early June, including a strike on an oil tanker attempting to breach the blockade on June 10.
CENTCOM did not immediately provide detailed damage assessments from the latest round of strikes. It also remains unclear whether Iran will respond to this third round, as it did after earlier strikes with missile and drone attacks on Gulf states and Jordan.
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