Fresh US-Iran escalation leaves civilians dead
The United States has resumed large-scale military operations against Iran, launching what it described as a “heavy wave” of airstrikes after a five-night pause. The attacks came in retaliation for Iranian missile strikes targeting American forces stationed at a US military base in Jordan a day earlier.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the operation was completed around 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday (0200 GMT Thursday), saying American forces successfully struck dozens of targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to CENTCOM, the targets included military command centres, missile and drone production and storage facilities, coastal surveillance and defence installations, as well as maritime infrastructure. The military said the strikes were intended to weaken Iran’s operational capabilities following the attack on US personnel in Jordan.
The renewed offensive came just hours after US President Donald Trump vowed to respond “very hard” to Iran’s actions, signalling a tougher American military stance after days of relative calm.
Iranian media, however, reported civilian casualties from the strikes. State-linked outlets said at least three civilians were killed, including a couple and their two-year-old child after a residential building on Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Gulf, was hit.
Explosions were also reported in the southwestern cities of Ahvaz and Abadan. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency said power outages were reported across parts of Ahvaz following the bombardment. Officials in Khuzestan province confirmed that several locations in Abadan were also targeted.
According to reports from Tehran, the latest American attacks were concentrated in Iran’s southern provinces along the Gulf coast and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, mirroring the pattern of strikes carried out during the recent 13-day military campaign.
The United States had halted its operations against Iran last Friday after nearly two weeks of sustained nightly attacks, but the latest developments mark a renewed escalation in the conflict.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) maintained that Iran would continue its resistance as long as Washington continued its military threats.
Iran responded by launching missile attacks targeting a US airbase and command headquarters in Jordan. Jordanian authorities said their air defence systems intercepted and destroyed all five incoming missiles before they reached their targets, adding that no casualties had been reported.
In a separate incident, Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said an Iranian strike hit a building belonging to a Chinese company in the country’s northern region. The attack reportedly killed one worker and caused extensive damage to the facility.
The latest exchange of attacks has further heightened tensions across the Middle East, raising concerns that the conflict could spread beyond Iran and involve more countries across the Gulf region.
