US hits Iranian rocket launchers near Strait of Hormuz in first strike in weeks
US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz, the first such action in a month, after observing preparations to launch sea mines.
American forces have carried out a strike on Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first US military action in the region in roughly a month, a US official said on Sunday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military movements, said forces with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. The strike was launched in response to that preparation.
Semiofficial Iranian news outlets reported sounds of explosions near Larak Island, which lies in the strait. The Revolutionary Guard, in a statement carried by Iran's state broadcaster, acknowledged casualties, saying "the martyrdom and injury of several of our fighters and compatriots" had occurred. The statement vowed that the attack would "result in punishment of the aggressor."
The US military had, last week, completed clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping lanes, a key waterway for global oil transport. The latest strike comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with the strait serving as a critical chokepoint for maritime traffic.