U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed early Thursday that American forces are conducting strikes on Iran, according to a statement. The confirmation did not include details on the scope or targets. The strikes are part of an ongoing U.S. air campaign that has included nightly operations since early July, as The Zioneer has reported.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officially confirmed that American strikes on Iran are underway early Thursday morning, according to a brief statement. The confirmation did not specify the scope, targets, or duration of the operation. The announcement comes after a series of rapidly evolving reports throughout the night, which The Zioneer has been tracking since the first unverified claims emerged.
The first report of strikes was published at 02:13 Jerusalem, when a senior U.S. official told security analyst Yair Goldblatt that the U.S. military was "currently striking Iran." At the same time, reports indicated strikes hitting the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran, according to Arabic-language sources, though these remained unverified. Within minutes, multiple additional sources corroborated the activity: an American official told Axios that airstrikes were underway, followed by another senior U.S. official confirming the same to Barak Ravid of N12. By 02:13 Jerusalem, Axios had reported that the U.S. military had begun striking Iran, but still without an official CENTCOM statement. The timeline shows a rapid escalation from a single source to multiple independent confirmations, culminating in CENTCOM's own official acknowledgment.
As The Zioneer has reported in depth since early July, the current operation is part of a sustained U.S. air campaign against Iranian military infrastructure, initiated in retaliation for Iranian attacks on U.S. service members and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM has conducted nightly precision strikes targeting command centers, naval units, missile sites, and air defense systems. The campaign, which began as a targeted response, has expanded to include interior Iranian targets and has been characterized by CENTCOM as a high-tempo attrition operation.
Details on the specific targets, scope, and duration of this wave have not yet been released.
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