Iran Fires on U.S. Drone as Israel Strikes Lebanon, Sending Smoke Into the Sky

Iran and the United States traded accusations and attacks around the Strait of Hormuz as Israel opened another round of strikes in southern Lebanon, sharpening tensions across several Middle Eastern fronts.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on September 6 that its naval forces attacked a remotely operated U.S. drone after it tried to enter what Iran described as a protected area of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said the strategic waterway was under Iranian control and that any hostile action would receive a firm response.

The IRGC also said its navy had targeted three oil tankers traveling along routes Iran had not authorized, as well as three other vessels linked to the United States in separate areas. It warned other ships not to use routes that Iran had not approved, according to AFP.

The Iranian statements came after Washington said it had destroyed three Iranian oil tankers, including the M/T Kylo, which was sunk in the Gulf of Oman on September 5. The United States said the action responded to an Iranian attempt to attack two U.S. warships with missiles. Washington accused the tankers of belonging to a multibillion-dollar clandestine network used to fund the IRGC and affiliated forces.

The confrontation has continued for six months without signs of easing. In southern Lebanon, Israel said its military was carrying out strikes in response to a Hezbollah drone attack targeting Israeli soldiers. Israel also urged residents of Arab Salim to evacuate before the attacks.

According to Al Jazeera, Israel’s military began an unannounced general staff exercise called Dawn Cost 2.0 on September 6. The exercise aims to test decision-making and operational responses at every level during a large, complex and rapidly developing multi-front situation, while applying lessons from earlier fighting and the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The Israeli military warned residents that further developments were possible, though the supplied article ends before completing that statement.