The IRGC Aerospace Force issued a statement announcing the start of a "firm and deterrent" direct response to an earlier Israeli strike on Iranian sovereignty. Waves of ballistic missiles, guided missiles, and drones are being launched toward central Israeli cities including the Gush Dan metropolitan area, the IRGC said, warning of broader strikes if Israel responds further. Explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, and reports from Iraqi sources describe a missile attack on the US Al-Harir base in Erbil.
The IRGC Aerospace Force has now officially announced the start of a direct retaliatory strike against Israel — a development that follows a sequence of escalating threats and a previous ballistic missile attack reported by The Zioneer at 22:36. In a statement published to its official channels just after 22:26 UTC, the IRGC said waves of ballistic missiles, guided missiles, and drones are being launched toward central Israeli cities including the Gush Dan metropolitan area. The IRGC warned that any further Israeli response will be met with "broader, more painful, and more destructive actions" across occupied territory. Concurrently, explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, and Iraqi sources described a missile strike on the US Al-Harir base near Erbil, with claims of a destroyed US radar.
The desk began tracking this thread on June 7, when The Zioneer reported that the IRGC Air Force commander and a senior military advisor vowed retaliation after an Israeli strike on an IRGC air base. On June 8, an IRGC spokesman threatened Israel with "destructive space missiles." By June 9, the IRGC had raised its alert level to the highest degree and warned of an "unprecedented" response to any US attack. On June 10, at 21:01, The Zioneer reported that the IRGC spokeswoman warned of "unprecedented attacks" and "hell" for US forces in the region, as the US Embassy in Baghdad issued a high-alert warning. The first bulletin of the current attack wave was published at 22:26, followed by a second version at the same timestamp that specified an imminent wave.
As The Zioneer reported on June 9, the IRGC had already claimed a ballistic missile strike on the US Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, though US Central Command did not confirm that report. The broader regional context includes earlier unverified reports of missile launches toward the Gulf on June 9, and ongoing fire exchanges in southern Iran following US strikes, as the IRGC confirmed that night.
The credibility of the IRGC's claims remains unverified: no independent confirmation of impacts in Israel, of the strike on Al-Harir base, or of the reported explosions in Bandar Abbas has been received. The IDF has not yet confirmed active interceptions or impacts. The situation is fluid, with sirens expected in central Israel imminently.
5 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake