U.S. Central Command struck targets across Iran with Tomahawk cruise missiles and fighter jets overnight in a second wave of strikes heavier than the previous night. The strikes focused on southern Iran and, for the first time, included the Karaj area west of Tehran. CENTCOM said it targeted military intelligence, surveillance, communication systems, and air defense sites that threatened U.S. forces and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump said 49 Tomahawks were launched, according to Abu Ali Express.
The overnight wave marked a significant escalation in the U.S. campaign against Iranian military assets, expanding the geographic scope of strikes to the Karaj area approximately 60 km west of Tehran. As The Zioneer reported at 08:18 Jerusalem, the first wave the previous night had struck more limited targets. This second wave, confirmed by CENTCOM, struck military intelligence, surveillance, communication systems, and air defense sites. President Trump's statement that 49 Tomahawks were launched, cited by Abu Ali Express, was accompanied by CENTCOM video footage of launches from the destroyer USS Michael Murphy. The strikes follow Iran's ballistic missile and drone attacks on U.S. regional bases earlier in the week, which the Pentagon said prompted the expanded self-defense operation. Unconfirmed social media footage has emerged of impacts in the Karaj area, but independent verification remains pending.
As The Zioneer has reported across the thread since 02:24 Jerusalem, President Trump first disclosed the count of 49 Tomahawks in a Fox News interview, a single-source claim at the time. By 02:24, thread versions noted the closest impact was about 60 km from Tehran, and the IRGC announced retaliatory attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. At 04:10 Jerusalem, CENTCOM released footage of the launches, corroborating the operation's scale. By 08:18 Jerusalem, The Zioneer had confirmed the strikes included the Karaj area for the first time, with CENTCOM's formal confirmation of 49 Tomahawks against military intelligence and air defense sites emerging around the same time.
Iran's ballistic missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan earlier in the week — reported by The Zioneer at 04:33 Jerusalem — were cited by the Pentagon as the trigger for the expanded U.S. self-defense operation, as previously reported.
The IRGC's claim of retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases, first reported by The Zioneer at 02:24 Jerusalem, remained a single-source assertion without independent confirmation. No U.S. casualties or damage to military installations were reported, per a U.S. official's assessment covered at 06:18 Jerusalem. Additionally, Tehran has denied President Trump's claim that Iran requested a halt to the strikes.
12 developments
- StrongTrump warns Iran he'll 'bomb the shit out of' them after 49 Tomahawks strike near Tehran
- StrongIranian media: five missiles fired at US targets inside Iran
- DevelopingIRGC claims 18 American military targets hit in two overnight strike waves
- DevelopingIranian Navy fires four missiles at US warship in the Gulf
Source and signal
- Internal intake