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Armed Forces escalate retaliatory campaign against US regional bases
CENTCOM: Two soldiers killed in Iranian strikes on Jordan
In the latest bout of reprisal strikes on Sunday, Iran’s Armed Forces downed another American advanced drone over the southern part of the country and targeted US military’s ammunition depot and Patriot and air surveillance radars in Kuwait as they continued to respond to US attacks with full force.
The Army said in a statement on Sunday that it targeted two key US bases in Kuwait in response to deadly American aerial assaults on civilian infrastructure, including bridges in Iran.
It said that the large-scale attack involved launching explosive drones at the US army's ammunition depot in Al-Adiri Camp, as well as Patriot and air surveillance radars belonging to the US military in Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Located approximately 104 kilometers from Iran’s borders, Al-Adiri Camp serves as a major logistical support and force-reconstitution center for American forces, it added, saying disruptions at the base would have a significant impact on the US Army’s logistical support operations throughout the region.
Ali Al Salem Air Base serves as the principal airlift hub and a primary gateway for the deployment of military forces into West Asia, the Army said. The base also plays a central role in the US military and logistical strategy in the region. Kuwait claimed on Sunday that Iran hit a power and water plant causing a fire, while Bahrain also accused Tehran of targeting civilian infrastructure.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) also said on Sunday its forces intercepted and shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the skies of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz. This is the fourth American MQ-9 drone shot down by Iran in the last eight days, according to Iranian authorities. These are expensive and sophisticated drones used for both surveillance and attack.
Iran says it has downed more than 150 US drones since the beginning of the war, with about 30 of them being MQ-9s.
Iran’s attacks came after the US military said it had completed an eighth straight night of attacks against Iran after earlier announcing that two US military personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing following an Iranian attack.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the two deaths occurred on Friday and that a third US service member was missing in action. The announcement brought the number of American soldiers killed since the war began to 16, while more than 420 have been wounded.
Iran's Mehr news agency said the US carried out an attack near Sirik in southern Iran, adding that no casualties or damage to infrastructure have been reported. The Tasnim news agency said the US military also targeted a location near Shadegan, a city close to the border with Iraq.
The new flare-up came after the US violated the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding of June 18 by attempting unauthorized naval movements through the Strait of Hormuz, with the Iranian Navy intercepting the vessels to enforce the agreement.
Since then, the US military has launched new aggression against Iran by targeting military sites, infrastructure civilian facilities.
Iran’s Health Ministry said on Friday that at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured since the renewed US strikes.