Donald Trump on Wednesday launched retaliatory strikes against Iran after Tehran shot down a US Apache helicopter near the turbulent Strait of Hormuz. This escalation came amid months of tensions in the Middle East following the launch of the massive US military campaign against Iran – Operation Epic Fury.The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said that US forces targeted Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Fighter aircraft from the US Air Force and Navy carried out the strikes using precision-guided weapons.
The military action was carried out under the supervision of Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump.Video footage circulated online showed US strikes hitting an Iranian site, leading to a massive explosion that lit up the night sky.
According to the Al Jazeera report, explosions were heard in the Iranian cities of Jask and Bandar Abbas.Earlier, Trump warned Iran not to respond after the helicopter was shot down. He later sought to downplay the incident, saying it was “no big deal” because the pilots survived. Meanwhile, Iranian state media, citing military sources, reported that the IRGC vowed a “decisive response” to “renewed hostilities by the enemy under the pretext of a helicopter crash.”
Tehran promised to respond, raising new doubts about efforts to ensure a permanent ceasefire in the conflict. The war has already disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed global energy prices higher. Missile sirens also sounded in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, after Iran claimed it targeted the island nation in retaliation.The US military said the strikes focused on “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.”
Iran confirmed attacks near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but did not provide details about the extent of the damage.“The operation was a proportionate response to recent attacks on US forces and international commercial ships crossing territorial waters,” US Central Command said.Trump had previously written on social media that Iran shot down the helicopter while it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and said that the United States “must necessarily respond to this attack.”Iran’s top diplomat warned that foreign military forces operating near Iranian territory were “at constant risk” and later pledged to respond to recent US strikes.“We will not leave any attack or threat without a response,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on the X website. He added: “Leave our area if you want safety.”
The downing of the Apache helicopter and subsequent US strikes exacerbated the two-month-old ceasefire.
This development came a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce entered into force. Iranian state television reported that Israeli attacks on Tuesday killed at least two members of the country’s air defense units.Since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, the conflict has rocked the global economy, driving up energy prices and increasing the cost of many basic goods, including food.Efforts to turn the April ceasefire into a permanent peace agreement have failed so far, especially with Israel continuing and expanding its military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
