Tehran [Iran], July 30 (ANI): Iran has claimed it destroyed three U.S. F-35 fighter jets and heavily damaged three others at Jordan’s Al-Azraq Air Base on Thursday in retaliation for American strikes on Qeshm Island.
According to a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched several ballistic missiles targeting the deployment ramp and maintenance facilities housing U.S. F-35 fighter aircraft at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
The IRGC claimed the strike “completely destroyed three F-35 aircraft and caused heavy damage to three others,” adding that several U.S. officers and technical and maintenance personnel were also killed in the attack.
According to the statement, the operation was carried out in response to a U.S. airstrike on Qeshm Island on Wednesday night.
The IRGC alleged that American forces operating from bases in Jordan targeted two residential homes with bunker-busting bombs, killing three members of a family, including a child, while injuring two other children.
Earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had carried out a large-scale wave of strikes against IRGC targets inside Iran.
In a statement, CENTCOM said its forces conducted strikes at approximately 10 p.m. ET on July 29 in response to what it described as attempted Iranian ballistic missile attacks against U.S. forces on Tuesday.
According to CENTCOM, dozens of IRGC military targets were struck, including command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities.
“The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighbouring Gulf countries,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The U.S. military also stated that on July 28, Iranian forces launched multiple ballistic missiles in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. personnel stationed in the Middle East, adding that all of the missiles were successfully intercepted.
CENTCOM also said that more than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East and are “highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”
Explosions were reported across southern Iran, including in Bandar Abbas and Kish Island, according to Iranian media.
Before claiming responsibility for the strike on Al-Azraq Air Base, the IRGC issued another statement warning that countries assisting the United States would face “a harsh response” unless they changed their policies.
The IRGC also asserted that the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways for global energy trade, remains under the control of its Navy.
Iran further warned that the strait would not be reopened while what it described as U.S. threats and interference in regional maritime traffic continued. (ANI)
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