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Iran responded early in the morning to the U.S. bombings of Iranian military targets with a series of attacks aimed at facilities associated with the United States in several Middle Eastern countries.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard announced that it launched missiles and drones against the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as against the air bases of Al-Azraq in Jordan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, Reuters reported.
Bahrain authorities confirmed that their defense systems intercepted Iranian projectiles and activated security alarms for the population. According to The Telegraph, Kuwait also reported that it shot down hostile aerial targets before they reached their destination.
For their part, the Jordanian Armed Forces reported that they intercepted five missiles fired towards the Al-Azraq airbase, where U.S. forces are deployed. Authorities indicated that the remnants of the projectiles fell in uninhabited areas and did not cause any casualties.
The Iranian offensive occurred just hours after the United States bombed radars, air defense systems, and military control centers in Iranian territory near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran deemed those attacks a direct aggression and vowed to respond.
The White House justified the offensive as a response to the incident that occurred off the coast of Oman, where a U.S. Apache helicopter crashed into the sea after being hit by an Iranian drone.
Although U.S. authorities have not publicly determined whether the collision was accidental or intentional, President Donald Trump authorized the operation after receiving additional information from his military advisors.
On its part, the Revolutionary Guard warned that any new U.S. military action will provoke "more severe and decisive" responses. Meanwhile, the Iranian military command claimed to have attacked several U.S. facilities in the region, although some of those claims have not been independently verified.
The escalation also had diplomatic repercussions. The spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the suspension of contacts with Washington, accusing the United States of repeatedly violating the ceasefire reached in April and undermining diplomatic efforts.
China expressed its concern over the new escalation and urged all parties to act with restraint to avoid an expansion of the conflict, while various governments in the region reinforced their security measures in response to the risk of further confrontations.
The cross attacks represent one of the most serious episodes since the truce reached two months ago and increase uncertainty about the future of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
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