US launches ninth night of strikes on Iran as Middle East violence flares

New violence erupted in the Middle East as the United States launched another wave of attacks on Iran, while Kuwait reported intercepting drone attacks and Tehran's Revolutionary Guards claimed to have struck an "enemy command centre" in Syria.

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degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners

Bahrain's interior ministry also confirmed its air raid sirens had sounded, urging citizens to seek safety. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced late Sunday the commencement of a ninth consecutive night of strikes aimed at "degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners" in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This escalation follows the collapse of a preliminary deal to end the war, with the foes locked in a deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil supply.

Since the war began on February 28, Iran has retaliated by targeting US allies and military assets in its vicinity and has significantly disrupted passage through the strait, which previously handled a fifth of global oil supplies. Kuwaiti air defenses were actively "engaging hostile drone attacks following Iranian aggression," according to a statement from the Kuwait Army on X, noting that any explosions heard were a result of air defense systems intercepting these attacks.

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engaging hostile drone attacks following Iranian aggression

Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced Monday a "surprise attack" on an enemy command center in Syria, as reported by state news agency IRNA. The statement, posted on Telegram, claimed the strike in the Al-Tanf region was in retaliation for the "blood of martyred soldiers of Iranshahr." Earlier, Iran stated it had targeted two US bases in Kuwait in response to over a week of escalating attacks that Tehran claims have impacted transport and infrastructure, including an under-construction nuclear power plant. Jordan also reported intercepting missiles on Sunday.

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a surprise attack on the enemy special operations command centre in the Al-Tanf region of Syria in revenge for the blood of martyred soldiers of Iranshahr

The renewed violence occurred after a weekend during which the US reported three new military fatalities and one service member missing in action. Two service members died during Iranian missile and drone attacks on Jordan on Friday, and another died in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, according to CENTCOM. President Donald Trump stated Sunday that the latest US strikes on Iran "hit them very hard again tonight" in honor of the fallen American service members.

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hit them very hard again tonight