U.S. Central Command announced that it began a third consecutive wave of precision strikes against Iranian military targets overnight, aiming to degrade the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' ability to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Central Command confirmed early Tuesday morning that it launched a third consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets, beginning at 23:45 Jerusalem time on Monday. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it struck U.S. targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, claiming hits on air defense systems, fuel facilities, and radars. Bahrain confirmed it activated alerts and faced missile threats; Jordan confirmed it intercepted missiles; and Kuwait raised its alert level and confirmed U.S. targets were hit on its soil. The exchange marks a significant escalation in the ongoing campaign over the Strait of Hormuz.
As The Zioneer reported, the campaign has unfolded over several nights. On Sunday, July 12, CENTCOM completed a third round of strikes hitting over 140 targets, bringing the total to over 300 targets struck in three days. Early Tuesday at 00:11 Jerusalem, reports emerged of a new wave of strikes with explosions in Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, and Qeshm Island. CENTCOM then confirmed the third consecutive night of strikes, and an explosion was reported in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The thread evolved from unconfirmed reports to official confirmation, and then to Iranian retaliation claims backed by allied acknowledgments.
The campaign, authorized by the President, aims to degrade the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. As The Zioneer reported on July 12, over 300 targets have been hit in three days, and CENTCOM noted that since early May, U.S. forces have enabled safe passage of over 800 merchant ships carrying about 400 million barrels of oil through the strategic waterway.
The extent of damage from the third night's strikes and the Iranian retaliation remains unverified. The status of U.S. assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan after the Iranian strikes is unclear, and no immediate Iranian response to the latest U.S. strikes has been reported beyond the announced retaliation.
8 developments
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Source and signal
- Internal intake