The U.S. military struck dozens of targets across Iran on Wednesday night after forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired multiple ballistic missiles toward American troops in the Middle East, U.S. Central Command said.
The two-hour operation ran from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on July 29. It followed what CENTCOM called an attempted surprise attack by Iran on July 28. The command said U.S. forces intercepted every Iranian missile.
More than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East and are “highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready,” CENTCOM said.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, President Donald Trump notified Congress earlier in July that he had resumed military action against Iran after attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. targets military sites
CENTCOM said American forces hit IRGC command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities.
“The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries,” CENTCOM said.
The command also released a 38-second video showing U.S. forces launching what it described as precision strikes against Iranian military targets.
President Trump had promised a forceful response after U.S. forces intercepted the Iranian missiles. “We’re going to hit them very hard,” he said.
Iran reports casualties
Iranian state media, citing the IRGC, said the U.S. strikes killed three civilians and wounded two children on Qeshm Island. Three IRGC members also died in Zanjan province, state media reported.
The governor of Khuzestan province said the strikes damaged two student dormitory complexes in Ahvaz. Reuters did not independently verify the Iranian casualty and damage claims.
Iran strikes Jordan and Kuwait
The IRGC said it retaliated against the Azraq military base in Jordan and claimed it destroyed U.S. aircraft. CENTCOM rejected that account, saying no American aircraft sustained damage.
“All missiles and drones were intercepted, or failed to reach targeted areas,” CENTCOM said.
Jordan’s armed forces said air defenses intercepted five incoming Iranian missiles early Thursday. Jordan reported no casualties.
An Iranian attack struck a building owned by a Chinese company in northern Kuwait, killing one worker and causing significant damage, Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the IRGC also targeted U.S. assets at Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Separately, Egypt’s cabinet said an unidentified drone caused a fire aboard two gas vessels at the Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday. No group had claimed responsibility as of Thursday afternoon, Reuters reported.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said talks with Oman over management of the Strait of Hormuz were continuing even after Tehran rejected a regional proposal for joint management of the waterway.
Provided by Dallas Express
