U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Thursday that it conducted a series of intense strikes against dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran, including command centers, missile facilities, UAV infrastructure, and naval assets. The operation, which began at 22:00 ET Wednesday (05:00 Jerusalem Thursday), follows a six-day pause in the American air campaign and is a direct response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces on July 28, all of which were intercepted. CENTCOM said over 50,000 U.S. troops are deployed in the Middle East on high alert.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed early Thursday morning that it had struck "dozens" of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in a new wave of operations that began at 05:00 Jerusalem time (22:00 ET Wednesday). In a statement released at 05:23 Jerusalem, CENTCOM detailed the targets as including command centers, missile facilities, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) infrastructure, surveillance positions, and naval defense capabilities. The operation marks the resumption of the American air campaign after a six-day pause and is a direct response to the Iranian ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces on July 28, which CENTCOM said was an attempted surprise attack. All Iranian missiles were intercepted.
The confirmation of the strikes' scale follows a rapid sequence of reports and official announcements overnight. At 00:52 Jerusalem, CENTCOM announced a new wave of strikes was imminent after the six-day pause. By 02:13 Jerusalem, multiple reports emerged — from a senior U.S. official, Axios, and CENTCOM itself — confirming that strikes were underway, with initial reports of explosions in the southern city of Ahvaz. At 03:33 Jerusalem, CENTCOM confirmed the strikes had begun at 20:00 ET (03:00 Jerusalem). The current statement is the first to provide a detailed breakdown of the scope and targets, specifying that the operation hit "dozens" of IRGC assets across multiple domains.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this month, the sustained American air campaign against Iran began in mid-July following the collapse of the 'Islamabad' memorandum and a series of Iranian provocations in the Persian Gulf. CENTCOM has conducted consecutive nights of precision strikes, including a ten-night stretch that concluded on July 21. The command has stated that more than 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed across the Middle East in a high state of readiness.
The full extent of damage from the strikes has not yet been independently assessed, and no Iranian response has been reported as of early Thursday morning. It remains unclear whether the IRGC's command-and-control capabilities were significantly degraded by the operation.
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