Unsurprise by the US attacks, the IRGC and army command retaliated against the US targeting it bases across the Middle East; Kuwait and Bahrain in particular. The US launched a string of attacks on Iran with the first one a wide range missile targeting Kish and Sirik, Minab and Bandar Abbas. Activities were also in the central Isfahan area and west of Tehran. Karaj has been hit twice in the second wave, actually, which was less than two hours ago. Two explosions were reported in Karaj, west of Tehran.
Air sirens sounded in Kuwait as the army intercepted hostile missiles launched by Iran. The government closed its airspace temporarily “as a precautionary measure” due to “Iranian aggressions”. Air raid sirens were also heard in Bahrain as the Interior ministry urged citizens to stay calm and head to safest place.
For Jordan, the US Department issued a travel advisory, warning people in Jordan to “seek overhead cover and shelter in place immediately”.
“Reports indicate missiles, drones, or rockets are in Jordanian airspace,” the State Department’s TravelGov social media account warned.
Besides attacking US bases, Iran’s central military command has announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the latest US attack. The military command added that any vessel attempting to transit the critical waterway will be “targeted”.
The United States military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier launched attacks “against multiple targets in Iran”, saying the strikes were in “self-defense”. Prior to the attack, the US President Donald Trump warned the military was preparing to strike Iran again, claiming: “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them; now they will have to pay the price.”
Elsewhere, attacks on Lebanon continued with a number of causalities being reported following a strike on the south of the country and in the Bekaa Valley region, as the death toll since March from Israel’s bombardments reached 3,696.