Iran launched a broad wave of retaliatory attacks against U.S. military positions across the Middle East after American forces carried out strikes on Iranian targets in response to the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest escalation began after President Donald Trump accused Iran of shooting down the helicopter while it was conducting a patrol mission over the strategic waterway. Although the two crew members were rescued safely and the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, Trump declared that the United States would respond militarily. Soon afterward, U.S. Central Command confirmed a series of strikes targeting Iranian air defense systems, radar installations, surveillance sites, and ground control facilities near the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM described the operation as “a proportional response” to what it called Iranian aggression and attacks threatening U.S. forces and international shipping.
Explosions were reported across several locations in southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Jask, Sirik, Minab, and Ahvaz, as American fighter jets carried out multiple waves of attacks. U.S. officials later announced that the operation had been completed.
