US military carries out 'heavy wave' of retaliatory strikes on Iran for attack on bases

The United States military launched a significant wave of retaliatory strikes against Iran on Thursday, escalating hostilities in the Middle East after a nearly week-long lull. These actions were a direct response to Iran's recent missile attacks on American bases in Jordan. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) confirmed that American forces "successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran," hitting numerous Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets, including military command and control centers. The stated aim of these strikes was to degrade threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, international shipping, and regional allies.

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The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries.

Reports from Iran's state news agency IRNA indicated that several cities in the southwestern Khuzestan province and Qeshm island in the Persian Gulf were hit. The Fars news agency reported that an attack on a residential home in Qeshm's Chah Tangu neighborhood resulted in the deaths of three family members, including a two-year-old child, with two other children sustaining injuries. This incident highlights the devastating impact of the escalating conflict on civilian populations.

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A US attack on a residential home in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood of Qeshm killed three members of a family: the father, the mother, and their 2-year-old child.

The renewed hostilities have dimmed hopes for a swift return to negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The conflict has also spread to other fronts. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. announced joint strikes on militant bases in Iraq, following attacks on Saudi oil facilities blamed on Iran-aligned groups. Meanwhile, Israel accused Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire with a drone attack inside Lebanon. Jordan's army also reported intercepting five Iranian missiles aimed at its territory.

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As long as the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran continue … the resistance will continue.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) vowed to continue its resistance as long as threats against the Islamic Republic persist. The IRGC had previously stated it targeted U.S. bases in Jordan. The joint U.S.-Saudi operation in Iraq targeted logistics and weapons sites belonging to an Iran-aligned group, which Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi alliance condemned as a "dangerous escalation" that killed at least 20 of its members.

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a blatant violation of the ceasefire