A US F-18 fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. (X Screenshot)
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM said.
By World Israel News Staff
The United States launched strikes against multiple targets in Iran on Tuesday evening, marking Washington’s first direct military action against Iranian targets since the latest escalation began.
Explosions were reported in the port city of Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island shortly after the operation commenced.
In a statement posted on X, U.S. Central Command said American forces began carrying out what it described as “self-defense strikes” at 5 p.m. Eastern time on orders from President Donald Trump.
According to CENTCOM, the operation was launched in response to the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz the previous night.
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM said.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026
The strikes came hours after Trump publicly stated that the United States would respond once military investigators concluded that Iran was responsible for the attack.
“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
When the helicopter went down Monday night, the cause was not immediately known. Both crew members were rescued safely, according to U.S. officials.
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed of the operation by Trump before the strikes began.
The American attack marks a significant escalation in U.S. involvement in the confrontation with Iran, coming as Washington had simultaneously been pursuing negotiations with Tehran aimed at reaching a broader agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities.
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