The U.S. military said it carried out a heavy wave of strikes on targets linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), after what it described as an attempted ballistic missile attacks on American forces in the Middle East.In a statement issued on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces completed the operation at 10pm ET on July 29. The strikes were launched in response to multiple ballistic missiles that Iran allegedly fired a day earlier toward US positions in the region.According to CENTCOM, the operation targeted dozens of IRGC sites across Iran, including military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and air defence positions, as well as maritime capabilities.The US military said the strikes were intended to further reduce threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American personnel, commercial shipping and neighbouring Gulf countries.CENTCOM said all of the ballistic missiles launched by Iranian forces on July 28 were successfully intercepted before reaching their targets.The command added that more than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East and are on high alert as tensions continue to escalate in the region.