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The United States on Thursday resumed air strikes on targets inside Iran, bringing an end to a brief operational lull, according to an Axios report that cited a senior American official.
The renewed bombardment follows an offensive earlier this week in which Iran fired a volley of ballistic missiles towards a US military facility in Jordan. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the incoming salvo was thwarted after all projectiles were intercepted. Describing the incident as an "attempted surprise attack" on American assets stationed across the Middle East, CENTCOM noted that the missiles originated from within Iranian territory. Although military authorities did not disclose the specific installation, American news outlets, including Axios, reported that the strike targeted a US base in Jordan. The salvo represents Tehran's initial direct ballistic missile offensive aimed at an American military compound since Washington halted its aerial offensive against Iran to create leeway for diplomatic engagement. Reacting sharply to the escalation, US President Donald Trump cautioned that Tehran would encounter a severe counter-offensive. In statements made to Fox News, Trump asserted that Washington would act with resolve against any aggression targeting American personnel. "We're going to beat the f*ing s*t of them. We'll be hitting them hard. They're going to get a beating," Trump said, according to comments relayed by a Fox News correspondent. Parallel to the strikes in Iran, American and Saudi Arabian forces carried out joint air raids late Tuesday targeting Iran-backed militia factions operating in Iraq, with the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) reporting at least 20 fatalities. CENTCOM confirmed that the combined operation hit logistics depots and arms storage sites in eastern Iraq, framing the actions as a countermeasure following over 30 drone sorties over three days conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against American troops and Saudi energy sites. The joint military engagement came after Saudi authorities announced that air defence batteries successfully downed multiple drones directed at oil installations located in the kingdom's Eastern Province, attributing the attempted strikes to Iran-aligned armed groups based in Iraq. This fresh wave of American strikes marks a notable rise in cross-border tensions between Washington and Tehran, even as indirect diplomatic communications persist via regional intermediaries. The military actions follow the recent suspension of the US air campaign against Iran last week, when American officials stated that offensive sorties were temporarily halted to evaluate strategic conditions and test diplomatic prospects. Earlier in the week, President Trump had stated that Washington and Tehran were taking part in "good talks" and expressed optimism regarding a potential breakthrough, while reiterating that military manoeuvres would recommence if dialogue collapsed. "We're having good talks. I think there's a good chance that something could happen, and if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago," Trump told reporters. The military resumption also directly follows President Trump's bilateral engagement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where discussions focused heavily on regional strategy concerning Iran, in what White House officials characterised as "positive and productive" talks. (ANI)
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