Christine Drews Sieger
The U.S. military carried out a series of heavy overnight airstrikes targeting strategic Iranian positions.
Iran’s missile attack on U.S. forces earlier this week has triggered a swift American military response, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Late Wednesday evening, the U.S. military launched a series of heavy airstrikes against Iranian military targets. Iranian state media, Press TV, reported hours of violent explosions in the country’s south as the strikes continued overnight into Thursday, according to Digi24.
According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory operation began at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Military officials described the bombardment as a direct response to Iran’s earlier ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces stationed in the region.
High-value targets
Before the operation was launched, Donald Trump warned of swift military retaliation during a meeting with reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. “We will hit them very hard because now it’s our turn to hit. They know it’s coming,” said Donald Trump, according to CNN.
CENTCOM later confirmed on X that U.S. forces had successfully struck dozens of facilities belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The bombardments targeted strategic infrastructure across Iran—including command posts, naval and coastal facilities, and bases for both drones and missiles, News.ro reported, according to Digi24.
The action followed an attack on Tuesday evening in which Iranian forces fired several ballistic missiles at U.S. positions.
In this context, the Jordanian military reported that its air defenses shot down five of the Iranian missiles during the overnight attack.
A fragile region
Direct military exchanges between Washington and Tehran mark a dramatic escalation in an already volatile regional confrontation.
For months, proxy engagements and covert operations have threatened to push neighboring countries in the Middle East into open war.
Allies across the region are currently assessing the immediate consequences of the heavy, two-hour-long U.S. attack.
Defense analysts note that attacks on Iranian coastal assets severely disrupt operational capabilities along strategic international shipping corridors.
At 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, CENTCOM announced that the primary wave of the bombardment had officially concluded. World leaders are now closely monitoring the situation for potential retaliatory actions as international fear of a broader crisis escalates, Digi24 reports.
