The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Thursday that it has initiated a military attack on Iran, describing it as a 'powerful response' to Iranian attacks on US sites in the region. No further details on the scope or targets were provided in the initial announcement.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) officially announced early Thursday that it has initiated a military attack on Iran, describing the operation as a 'powerful response' to Iranian attacks on US sites in the region. The announcement, made just after 02:00 Jerusalem time, marks the first official confirmation from the command itself, following a night of reports from US officials and media outlets. The strikes come after a six-day pause in the US campaign against Iranian military infrastructure, as The Zioneer reported in its Eye on Zion briefing at 02:03 Jerusalem.
The Zioneer's coverage of the overnight developments began at 02:13 Jerusalem, when a senior US official told N12 that the US military was currently striking Iran, though the report could not be immediately verified. Shortly thereafter, security analyst Yair Goldblatt reported strikes hitting the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran, citing Arabic-language reports. Axios then reported that the US military had begun striking Iran, without official CENTCOM confirmation. Minutes later, a US official confirmed to Axios that airstrikes were underway inside Iran, with multiple strikes reported in the south. The Zioneer subsequently reported that the US campaign continued with new strikes. The source quality evolved from a single unverified statement to multiple newsroom confirmations, culminating in CENTCOM's official announcement.
The renewed strikes are part of a broader US military campaign against Iranian military infrastructure that has been ongoing for weeks. As The Zioneer reported on July 14, CENTCOM confirmed strikes on strategic targets including Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, and Abu Musa, and Iran retaliated against US targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Earlier, on July 8, the US confirmed 'powerful' strikes in retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The campaign paused for six days before resuming early Thursday, as noted in The Zioneer's Eye on Zion briefing.
CENTCOM has not provided details on the scope, specific targets, or duration of the strikes. Independent verification of the strikes' effects and any casualties remains pending.
11 developments
- StrongCENTCOM completes large-scale strike operation against Iran, hitting dozens of IRGC targets
- StrongCENTCOM completes five-hour strike wave across six Iranian sites
- StrongCENTCOM completes 13th straight night of strikes on Iran, hitting command centers and UAV depots
- DevelopingCENTCOM completes latest significant wave of strikes against Iran
Source and signal
- Open-source intake