The US military struck dozens of IRGC targets across Iran early Thursday, marking the end of a six-day pause in the US-Iran kinetic campaign. CENTCOM said the operation targeted command centers, missile facilities, and UAV infrastructure in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on US forces on July 28.
The United States resumed military strikes on Iran early Thursday after a six-day pause, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirming a series of intense airstrikes against dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets.
First reports of the operation emerged around 02:13 Jerusalem, with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid (N12) and Yair Goldblatt reporting that a senior American official said U.S. forces were striking Iran. At approximately 02:16 Jerusalem, reports indicated strikes were also taking place in the Ahvaz area of southern Iran. Axios reported that the U.S. military had begun strikes, though no official CENTCOM statement had been issued at that point.
CENTCOM officially confirmed the operation at around 03:25 Jerusalem, announcing that U.S. forces had begun strikes against Iran at 20:00 ET (03:00 Jerusalem). The statement said the strikes were a "powerful response" to Iranian attempts to attack American forces on July 28. Later, at 05:22 Jerusalem, CENTCOM issued a more detailed statement describing the strikes as having begun at 22:00 ET (05:00 Jerusalem) on July 29, and targeting "dozens of IRGC targets" across Iran, including command centers, missile facilities, UAV infrastructure, maritime surveillance and defense positions, and naval capabilities. The statement confirmed that all Iranian ballistic missiles launched on July 28 had been successfully intercepted.
At 05:23 Jerusalem, CENTCOM announced that the wave of strikes had been completed. The operation involved more than 50,000 U.S. troops deployed across the Middle East, who were at high readiness, concentrated, and capable of combat.
This latest wave follows a six-day operational pause, the longest break in the U.S. kinetic campaign against Iran since it began in July. As The Zioneer reported earlier, the campaign initially targeted IRGC infrastructure in southern Iran and has since expanded to include deep-penetration strikes. The July 28 Iranian ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces, which was intercepted, served as the immediate trigger for the resumption.
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